Hunger Games High School: Senior Year
by CelticGames4
Summary: It's Rue's senior year of high school and she couldn't be happier. Prim is happy with Rory and wants to live up her last year of high school. The year will prove to be a roller coaster or emotions, but the students at Panem High can't wait for it. Follow them through their adventures in music and relationships of their last year in high school!
1. Chapter 1: On Top of the World

**Chapter One: On Top of the World**

Rue isn't really thrilled to wake up at 6 that morning. After a summer of relaxing, the last thing she really wants to do is wake up so early and go to school of all places. She sits up, her curly black hair sticking up in all directions.

She knows there isn't much reason to be negative today. It's the first day of her senior year.

When Rue was a freshman, it seemed so far away. It seemed like high school would take forever. But, here she is, on the wake of her last year. She's grown up so much in that time and become so different. She knows that freshman Rue would've been amazed if she were ever to meet senior Rue. She wouldn't have changed a thing.

Well, maybe the shit that happened to her best friend when they were freshmen. Yeah, she would've changed that.

She gets out of bed and gets ready for her day. She's slightly nervous, but not nearly as nervous as she was as a freshman. She gets dressed in a cute sundress. Even though it's the beginning of September, the temperatures outside are still close to eighty. She gets a lanyard with her car keys on it and goes out to the kitchen to get a quick breakfast before she goes.

Rue eats a peanut butter sandwich before packing her lunchbox, bidding farewell to her parents, and going out to her car. She gets into her car, turns on a playlist and starts on her way to her boyfriend's house to pick him up. She pulls into the driveway and soon Skeeter Hoffsteader-Odair comes out of his house to meet her.

Rue knew Skeeter from the time they were small. They were next-door neighbors growing up, and were immediately best friends. They grew up together, and even when Skeeter moved after his parents divorced, the two were never separated. When things went wrong for one, the other was always there. They had started high school together, equally as anxious and afraid for their time in high school.

Freshman year brought some bad times for Skeeter, and it was later under those horrible conditions that the two of them got together. Rue couldn't be happier with their relationship and going through high school together, but wishes that freshman year could've been easier for him. He got a crappy lot, and he definitely didn't deserve it.

He looks so much happier than he did back then. His curly black hair is out of his eyes for once, his pretty blue eyes. He's wearing a nice button-down shirt and actually rolled up his sleeves for the first time in a while. He's smiling, the prettiest smile Rue's seen in her life. Skeeter's smiling was very comforting for her to see. It's pretty familiar from their adventures as children, getting into trouble and giggling about it later. They say that your partner should be your best friend, and for those two it's definitely true. Rue couldn't be happier about her first day as a senior.

"Hi," he says, his smile widening when Rue gives him a brief kiss good morning.

"Hey," she says.

"Are you ready for this?" he asks, bouncing his knee excitedly as he buckles up.

"Yeah." She pulls out of the driveway and starts on her way to school. "I can barely believe that we made it here."

"I can't believe it. I couldn't have made it without you," he says, leaning back comfortably and glancing out the window.

"Well _I_ couldn't have made it without _you_."

"Then I guess we're even."

Rue laughs. "I guess so."

Skeeter turns up the stereo and soon the two of them are singing along to their favorite songs as they drive to school. Rue pulls into the school and finds a parking spot before the couple walks into school together for their first day of their senior year.

When they get into the cafeteria, they find their good friends Locke and Jason. Locke is in a higher spirit than he's ever been, glad to be a senior. He transferred into Panem High his sophomore year and is a saxophone leader in the school's marching band. Always positive and sunny in disposition, Locke will listen to anyone that has a problem. Skeeter met him and his friend Jason during their sophomore year history final, and they were pretty quick friends.

"Morning!" he says.

"Morning," Skeeter says, smiling. "Can you believe that we're seniors?"

"Nope. I just… It's crazy." Jason is the much less optimistic best friend of Locke. Like Rue and Skeeter, the pair of them are practically inseparable from the time they were just kids. Except for Locke and Jason aren't dating (as much as some people may be convinced that they are). In fact, Jason maybe kinda of slightly has a thing for a girl who already graduated. She's had a crush on him since she was senior and he was a sophomore, but he was horribly oblivious and now he honestly has no idea if she's still into him or not and just… It's a very weird situation. It probably wouldn't be as weird if Jason wasn't too afraid to try and casually bring up the topic of her current relationship status.

"We made it," Skeeter says.

"I'm just glad Ben's not stinking up this school anymore." Jason says, earning him a flick to the arm by Locke. Old grudges die hard, but luckily Jason's arch nemesis Ben is one year older than them and therefore not in school with them anymore. Hopefully this year will go smoothly now that he's gone.

"Same," Skeeter says, earning him a light smack on the shoulder from Rue.

"You guys are going to have to be mature someday," Locke informs them. "We're almost legal adults here."

"I _am_ a legal adult!" Skeeter says. He turned 18 in June. "And I'm still not over it."

Rue and Locke sigh. "They're impossible," Rue says. Locke agrees.

The group sees a smiling girl with Italian complexion and bright brown eyes approach. Her dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail of dark cascading curls. "Hi!" she says.

"Uh, hey," Rue and Skeeter say.

"This is Abriella," Jason introduces, still slightly awkward with such a big group of people. "She's a drum major this year with me."

"Oh, that's great! Nice to meet you!" Rue shakes her hand.

"Nice to meet you too!"

The third and final drum major appears, with Turkish complexion and a nervous look on his face.

"Good morning Kuzey!" Abri says.

"Morning," he says, sounding slightly nervous.

"How are you?" He shrugs a bit.

"This is Kuzey," Jason says. "He's the third drum major." The other boy nods.

"Nice to meet you."

"These three have done a really good job," Locke says, looking proud.

"Thanks!" the other two say.

"We're looking forward to hearing you," Skeeter says.

"We like going to football games," Rue contributes.

Rue catches the eye of Primrose Everdeen, a fellow senior who has become a good friend, and waves. Prim smiles and waves back. Prim, like Rue, ended up falling for her best friend. His name is Rory Hawthorne. Rue and Skeeter don't know Rory really well, but they've heard good things about him (probably because he was hearing them from Prim). They also know Posy Hawthorne, Rory's little sister. She's best friends with a girl her age named Bonnie.

Posy and Bonnie are talking on the other side of the room. It's weird to think that both of them are juniors, and they'll be seniors next year… Both Bonnie and Posy have a crush on the same boy, who's close friends with them. His name is Kelley O'Callaghan, and he shows up next with his older brother, a senior named Edward. Kelley and Edward were both Irish exchange students. Their parents eventually moved to America to join them.

"Good morning!" says Kelley, with a smile that makes both Bonnie and Posy giggle.

"Hi," they both say, smiling.

"This year's going to be fun!" Kelley says, smiling.

"Yeah!" they agree. Kelley doesn't even notice their obvious crushes on him. It's probably better that way, at least for now. Soon, they're joined by Miranda Archer. Her older brother graduated last year, and it's pretty odd being at school without him. Her sister Rebecca is a sophomore and a tenor saxophone player.

The bell rings for the students to report to homeroom, and so starts the first day of school.

.

Last period is the one that is looked forward to the most. Last period is the period of the school's glee club meeting. Some of the students involved are singers, like Rue and Skeeter, and some bring their instruments to play for them, like Locke and Jason. The club's advisor is Mr. Everdeen, Prim's father. The students look up to him as a teacher and a person, which makes the class much better.

Rue and Skeeter were so lost their freshman year, and through the friendships they made with the seniors in glee club on the first day, they were able to find their way through. The seniors that were there their freshman year were… Eccentric. But still lovable.

Rue sits next to Skeeter and holds his hand, looking excited and ready for a good year as more instrumentalists and singers appear. Abri and Kuzey appear with instruments. Kelley, Bonnie, and Posy walk in together. Edward follows them in, Prim behind him. The sophomores, Ashley and Priscilla, walk in together still slightly shy with the others. Miranda and Rebecca Archer enter the room, too. This is their first year doing glee club.

The bell rings to start class and Mr. Everdeen takes attendance. There are a couple unfamiliar names on the list who nobody recognizes and aren't here, but soon unfamiliar faces appear.

The first is a short boy with messy dark hair that looks younger than fourteen. He has bright eyes and a cute smile and introduces himself as Gaylen Fowler. The next one has bright red bangs up out of his eyes and a big smile, introducing himself as Vardaman Dietz.

The club goes through the syllabus Mr. Everdeen prepared and gets the rest of the time together to talk amongst themselves.

The freshmen both look rigid and awkward in the new high school environment, so Rue and Skeeter decide to go talk to them with the time at the end of the period.

They're taken back to when they were the shy freshmen that sat in the back together. A pair of seniors reached out to Rue and Skeeter on their first day of freshman year, and it's a day that neither of them will forget. After talking to seniors they were a lot less afraid of what was to come. They want to help the new freshmen.

"Hi," she says. Both of the freshmen look up.

"Uh, hi…" Vardaman says.

"Hi," Gaylen says quietly.

"How do you guys like high school?" she asks.

"It's weird," Gaylen says, sitting on his hands awkwardly.

"It's nice," Vardaman says.

"You're going to like it a lot," Skeeter says with a nice smile. The two freshmen nod a little bit.

"Are you excited to sing?" Rue asks with a nice smile. Gaylen nods. Vardaman shrugs.

"The people in this room are great. They'll be your lifeline. You ever have a problem, find one of them. They'll help you. You'll practically grow up in this room," Skeeter says, glancing between them. "We don't abandon each other. We'll be here for you, I promise. Always."

It's definitely true. From the time they were just freshmen, the glee club was an outlet for them. It was a support group. It was everything. They want to give back to it as much as they can.

"Uh, thanks."

"You can come find us any time you have a question." Rue smiles kindly. "Got it?"

"Okay," they both say, shifting slightly. Gaylen smiles at them and Vardaman soon smiles too.

The bell rings for the students to go to their lockers and then their buses.

"You guys have a good night." Rue gives them a smile and pats on the shoulders.

"Thanks!" Gaylen says, and Vardaman nods as the other students file out of the room.

.

 _ **A/N: Yay, first chapter done! So, welcome to my Hunger Games High School universe, and if you've read any of the other stories, welcome back! This story is going to be heavy on the OCs and I would really want to post this on Fictionpress but Rue and Prim and Rory aren't mine so it still qualifies as FF. These updates will happen at LEAST once a month, maybe more if I have inspiration to do so. So, here is the September update! I hope you like it!**_

 _ **Oh, and another thing. Locke and Jason do not belong to me, they belong to the lovely Sinfonian Legend. So to see more of them read 72 Hours Remain and she has stuff for other fandoms for you to read too! So do it!**_

 _ **Also, Kuzey does not belong to me either. He belongs to the beautiful Wetstar, whose stories are from various fandoms and are all wonderful and you should check them out. Kuzey will appear eventually in my SYOT, Games 36: Once More Unto the Breach! He's the brother of the D8 tribute.**_

 _ **Favorites, follows, and reviews are appreciated!**_


	2. Chapter 2: This is Halloween

_**A/N: Nobody's really reading this story but if you are then I'll explain this chapter! Basically this is an AU where everyone in the school is some kind of monster. This chapter turned out to be 100% OC-Centric. I would love to put this story on Fictionpress but there still are canon characters in it so it has to be here. Anyways, enjoy, and if you like it, review!**_

 **Chapter Two: This is Halloween**

 _A young boy runs down the sidewalk, looking back behind his shoulder as he runs, making sure that his siblings are still with him and holding their hands tightly so that he doesn't lose them to the threat that is chasing them, lingering not far away from them._

 _He runs, his four-year-old sister behind and his tiny little two-year-old brother stumbling along behind them, looking back and trying to figure out what they might be running from. The boy never wants him to find out._

 _He reaches a dead end back in an alleyway, keeping his younger siblings close behind him, hissing out a swear word so quietly neither of them could hear him._

 _This kind of thing wasn't new to the boy. He was homeless, and didn't have parents to protect him. After his mother died and his father left, the boy had to try to fend for and protect his siblings. Around this time of year, though, he had to learn to fight off monsters with nothing but his bare hands. He had no other choice, really. His siblings need him to fight for them and he was more than willing to do so._

 _He gets a plank of wood that was around the alley as he hears the howls of the werewolves that had begun to chase them. He grits his teeth and prepares to fight, protecting his siblings above all. The beasts came, almost fully in wolf form. The leader of the pack, the alpha, looked at him with malicious red eyes, speckled with a very bright blue. He didn't know her at all, and didn't want to._

 _The wolves attacked, and he attacked back._

 _He fought hard and valiantly, staying protectively in front of his little brother and sister and bristling in a way that was just as frightening as the alpha herself. They tried to scratch and bite him, but this wasn't the boy's first time fighting these monsters._

 _His little brother watches with wide eyes as he fights off the werewolves. There are so many of them, but somehow the single human is able to hold his ground. Soon, though, the fight becomes dire. The boy knows he's losing and has to escape. He fights with one hand as he hefts his little brother on his shoulders and scoops up his little sister. On his way out, he strains with effort, not stopping for anything, until he reaches the sidewalk and the wolves suddenly stop._

 _He hears a piercing scream and turns to see his little sister being carried by the scruff of her neck by the alpha's teeth._

" _Help!" she screeches, screaming her brothers' names._

" _She'll make a lovely addition to the pack," the alpha says, her eyes piercing into the boy's very soul._

" _Put her down," he says, growling so threateningly some of the wolves draw back._

" _I hate to tell you this," but by her tone the boy could tell that she didn't hate it at all, "But you're too late."_

" _Help!" the two year old cried. The boy didn't take long to decide to attack the beasts, but soon realized it was too late as he watched the alpha of the pack walk away with his little sister held captive._

 _He had heard stories, when he was held captive by a vampire named Tom, about how monsters will always find their families again, no matter how young, but he was still worried._

 _He walked back to the small shack in which he took refuge with his siblings, defeated._

 _He heard howls, held his sniffling, teary-eyed brother close to his chest, and vowed that someday, when he was stronger, he would have revenge on the creatures that took his sister from him._

 _~.~._

He holds his little brother by the shoulders.

"Don't worry, Gaylen. You'll be fine," he promises. "I have to go for my classes, but you'll be in good hands."

"I dunno Dawson…" the freshman bit his lip, his messy dark hair sticking up so much you'd think he was just attacked.

Dawson attaches a medal to Gaylen's shirt. "Here. This will protect you. Any monster that sees this will be running for the hills before you can say _'spooky scary skeletons!'"_

"Easy for you to say," Gaylen sighs.

"Take this. You might need it if anyone's brave enough to face you with that medal." Dawson hands his little brother a weapon, a small cylinder that turns into a dangerously sharp dagger at just the touch of a button.

Gaylen has to scoff a little bit. _Brave enough to face_ me. _I'm just about as brave as the cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz._

"I'm easy bait, though. The monsters like younger ones, so they can start training earlier."

"How do you know that?"

"You said it when you were recounting what happened to Sadie. Five years and two days ago, if memory serves me right."

"Genius brother. Right."

"The fact still stands that at the moment I'm close to two years younger than your normal freshman. They're going to be after me. What if they take the medal as an invitation to spite you?"

"Then they know that if you're touched they'll be dead by sunrise."

"Okay…" he says quietly.

"And if you see your sister…" Dawson bites his lip.

"I couldn't hurt Sadie," he says.

"You have to prevent her from hurting you."

"I'll… Try." _I'm not brave enough for this._

"I have to go now. I believe in you."

And so the greatest Monster Hunter that ever fought walks out the door, his little brother watching him in awe. _Of course it's easy for him,_ Gaylen thinks disdainfully, _He's arguably the strongest monster hunter that ever lived, he bleeds courage._

There is another school in the district, not too far away from Panem High, and it's called Liberty High. Though the students that go there are usually pretty poor, around October Liberty High raises tough and universally-feared monster hunters. Their goal is to eliminate the threat of malicious monsters in the area.

Each year, their advisor, Vice Principal Icaria, appoints a senior to be the Commander of the Hunt. Dawson attended Liberty, and learned how to hunt monsters with the most high-tech weapons he could have. He became fearsome and vicious, and he could outhunt most everyone on the squad when he was a sophomore. It's no wonder he was appointed the Commander position when he was a senior. His raid of Panem was strategic and one of the most efficient raids Liberty's ever seen. Even to this day he's the most heavily-medaled and revered monster hunter Liberty High's had in a long while.

Gaylen attends Panem High, which is infested with monsters, and isn't sure how he's going to make it through the day. He takes the bus and wants to shrink away and not go to school at all, if only that was possible…

The little freshman pushes his backpack up his shoulders, jumping as he hears a howl. He entered, staring at the ground, trying not to look up at any of the Panemite students. He knows he would never live up to the legacy of his older brother.

Gaylen Fowler walks quietly, trying to not draw attention to his all-too-human scent and all-too-human brown eyes.

"Good morning Freshy!" Gaylen screams just a bit.

"Relax, I'm a ghost. I can't even touch you." Skeeter smiles kindly, but Gaylen shrinks away.

"How long? Do most humans make it?" the younger-than-usual freshman swallows hard.

Skeeter sighs quietly, trying to pat his shoulder but forgetting that he can't actually touch humans.

 _Oh yeah. That's why Rue killed me, after all._ His sophomore year, Skeeter was a mummy, killed by the already-ghostly Rue so that she'd have somebody to be ghostly with her.

Even though he's been a ghost for essentially two Halloweens now, things like walking through walls are still pretty new to Skeeter.

"I don't want to be bit…" Gaylen says, whimpering a bit out of fear.

Skeeter smiles. "Then you'll just start magic classes. And you can be a witch or a wizard. They'll just have to turn you like that."

No, that doesn't sound much better…

"Oh, and nice medal," Skeeter comments.

Gaylen's heart sinks. "You're not freaked out?"

"Nah, I'm okay. Ghosts and hunters have somewhat of a truce at the moment. After all, ghosts can't do much to hurt or convert humans, so they usually leave us alone. Hunters are only out to eliminate the bloodthirsty monsters, not the okay ones."

Gaylen sighs a bit. "Oh. That makes sense."

"I have to go, but good luck today. I wish you the best." Skeeter floats off and Gaylen takes a deep breath. _I can do this. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm a coward._

With that thought, he walks off to his first period class.

~.~.

A woman's high heels click on the tile floor, but no other sound is made by the students that watch her. She pushes her glasses up her nose, eyeing up the students who watch her. They don't dare make a single sound.

"New recruits, step forward." Her voice is crisp and clear.

The group of sophomores steps forward, the juniors and seniors fondly recounting their initiation days.

"Take a knee," the Vice Principal tells them, and the sophomores obey.

"So, you survived your freshman training, and you would like to join the hunt."

The sophomores nod their heads with an appropriate "Yes ma'am."

"Very well. Artelind?" this year's Commander of the Hunt steps out from the group of juniors and seniors, her dark hair bouncing slightly in its usual ponytail. She has all of her gear on, medals included.

The Commander does not speak out loud. Artelind is mute, using a talking app on her smartphone to speak to the sophomores. "Your fellow soldiers and Commander welcome you, young hunters. We wish you success on your journey." Those who have never talked to her look surprised at hearing the deep voice, totally uncharacteristic and monotone.

The juniors and seniors echo their Commander, "We wish you the most honorable success."

Vice Principal Icaria speaks. "By joining this hunt, you make a binding vow to fight and even risk self-sacrifice. We are out to eliminate the monsters that target human. We band together to protect humans. No matter who they may be, do not be judgmental. No matter if they are from Liberty, Panem, or Capitol Academy. We are dedicated to the protection of humans and the extermination of dangerous monsters. We are protectors who make allies and friends and take care of them. Your only rule is to shoot, no matter who the dangerous monster is. You must always shoot. Failure to do so makes you a disgrace to this organization. Do you understand the expectations of you in your service?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Rise." The sophomores obey, going up to their feet.

"Welcome to the hunt, cadets. We wish you all the best." The juniors and seniors applaud their new recruits. Artelind shakes each of their hands and pins their first medals to their jackets.

"Commander Artelind, they're yours."

The girl nods and types. "Let's go to the draft room to make our first plan of attack."

~.~.

 _She went into the woods alone. Yeah, yeah, she knew it was a bad idea, but she had weapons and she was deadly with them so what's the big deal, right?_

 _She almost asked some of her friends to come with her, but decided against it. If she were to put them in danger she never would've forgiven herself._

 _But she knew that something had been lurking in the woods next to her house, and that year she was determined to find out what it was, and kill it the next day if possible._

 _The wind blew gently, eerily almost, swaying her ponytail in the wind. Her footsteps were silent. She was very good at sneaking up on people, even though a lot of the time it wasn't really her intention._

 _She kept on walking, watching out for anything that might be out of the ordinary. She heard a twig snap and quickly took cover, surveying her opponent._

 _And what she saw was truly frightening. A werewolf, in its full wolf form, with dark ginger hair and red eyes speckled with a piercing, cold blue._

 _Her heart stopped in her chest. She should've known he was a monster, she should've known it! She didn't put together that the boy she'd been talking to for almost a year now went to Panem… Oh God, she didn't know._

 _It was too late for her to do anything now but try to believe it wasn't him. There are plenty of guys with darkish hair and blue eyes around…_

 _It didn't take long for him to pick up her scent, but Artelind was ready to face him. She quickly and stealthily pulled out her bow, stringing a silver arrow that glistened threateningly in the moonlight. He knew damn well what it was, but he only hesitated a bit. She let the arrow go and hit his right claw as it was trying to make contact with her face. She strung another arrow as the wolf became smart and went into retreat. Her second arrow narrowly missed, but it was intentional._

Hopefully he'll stop bothering my neck of the woods now, _she thought._ I mean, I'm still not really sure it's him…

 _That day in school, though, she became sure it was him. He greeted her with a smile and waved with his left hand, the right tied up gingerly in a bandage._

 _They had each other all figured out. He knew that she would be the Commander of the Hunt, and she knew he would be the Alpha of the werewolves. They knew they would meet again, and be forced to fight. They both tried to ignore the fact and carry on as normal._

" _Hi," the monotone voice said._

" _Hi," Edward O'Callaghan mumbled._

" _What happened to your hand? Are you alright?" She tried not to look like she already knew._

 _He eyed her wearily. "Burnt myself, yes I did. On the stove. Wasn't watching."_

" _Interesting." They both knew the truth._

" _Forgot to shave?" she remarked. He really was hairy. Well, harrier than usual, that is._

" _Had a bit of a long morning," he says, shifting from side to side._

" _A-H." The machine didn't understand how to say the word. "I see. Must have been one howl of a morning." He jumped a little bit. "H-E-L-L, sorry, Autocorrect. D-A-M-N, this machine won't swear."_

 _It wasn't autocorrect and they both knew it._


	3. Chapter 3: Confrontations (Halloween II)

**Chapter Three: Confrontations**

She shouldn't have kept talking to him like this. She couldn't help it, really. He was bloody brilliant, really, and helped her to get new software that can swear and much more, which she will forever be grateful for.

But, this year she is the Commander of the Hunt, which means that she's going to have to face him. She's smart enough to deduce that Locke is too soft to be the Alpha, so it has to be Edward. As much as the thought makes her wish she had never done the hunt.

She maps out their attack plans very carefully with the others, and then they go to their respective classes. All day she tries not to be as nervous as she is. After all, last year's Commander had a boyfriend that was a monster, and it turned out just fine. Then again, Byna wasn't really a conventional Commander.

Artelind fiddles with one of the silver medals pinned to her jacket. _Maybe the zombies will send us into retreat first._ As if. Zombies are known to be very reckless. _Don't underestimate them._ One of the Co-Commanders got taken by them years back. The leader of the Zombies that year was one of the smartest Panem had ever seen. And most vengeful.

 _Maybe the vampires will send us away._ Vampires are smart, sure, but get overexcited. The ones that don't take forever to monologue, though, are definitely threats. Some years they just spend fighting over who gets to drink from which one, during which the hunters are able to get away. Artelind hates the smell of garlic, but wearing it for a few days is worth not having to deal with them getting near.

 _The sorcerers are brilliant, though. But usually aren't bloodthirsty._ Witches and wizards and dark magic users usually target specific humans, either those that they feel have potential or friends, family, and lovers. They usually aren't more than simple pests, though, and it's pretty easy to send them away.

The werewolves are usually the hardest to fight off. Absolutely savage, animalistic, and when the moon is up they barely care who they're attacking. Artelind learned that her junior year, when she made the mistake of going to the woods again. He would've torn her to shreds if she hadn't been so resourceful and experienced. That was an awkward next-day conversation.

She taps her pencil and dreads the end of the day, when the ranks will get together to attack Panem.

~.~.

Gaylen Fowler walks through the dark hallways. He's hidden his way through the entire day of school, and just had one more period before he could make it back and hide in their shelter until Dawson got back.

Suddenly, everything takes a turn for the worse when he's thrown down by the heavy weight of a malicious pursuer: his own sister.

"Got you!" she says, a laugh exploding from her lips. "Finally, I got you!"

"S-Sadie, p-please…" Gaylen can barely make himself speak. He wasn't expecting anything like this to happen, but he should've known better. She's been raised by the pack, after all.

"This will show our imbecile older brother…. It'll make him regret leaving me behind!"

"Sadie!" Gaylen knows he can't do anything but try to reason with her.

"You never should've left me! And you should've stayed in your own fucking grade, too!" She snarls. "I lost all my friends and all my aspirations to you, not to mention it's your fault that Dad left in the first place!"

Tears dot Gaylen's eyes. He knows he couldn't control any of it, but it still hurts to see the loathing in his sister's eyes.

"Dawson never should've left, and now I'm going to take the apple of his eye from him!"

"He cares about you just as much as he cares about me!"

"Then why was I the one he left?"

Gaylen doesn't know the answer. He'd never heard the story of what happened that night.

"Exactly!"

"Please…"

"It's funny if you think I'm going to have mercy on you because we're related. You're quite mistaken. The hunters have no mercy on their relatives, so why should we?"

Tears start to fall down Gaylen's cheeks. He's horribly scared, when suddenly his sister jolts and collapses, freeing him.

"Sadie!" but his exclamation is cut off by a hand pulling him by the shoulder into a storage closet.

"Please don't hurt me!" he gasps out through tears. When he looks up, though, the eyes he made contact with are a dark green color, not the bright red of a monster.

"Are you alright?" asks a voice Gaylen doesn't recognize.

He sniffles, "Yeah, I'm okay." He bites his lip. "What did you do to Sadie? Did you hurt her?"

"Just paralyzed her for a bit." He says it so casually. Gaylen sniffles and nods.

Upon looking at him, the guy's eyebrows shoot up (though it's hard to see in the dark). "Uh, nice medal." He sounds surprised and very suspicious. Gaylen looks down, at where the familiar golden medal rests.

"Oh, thanks. It's not mine." As if it wasn't obvious. "It belonged to my older brother. He was a Commander when he was a senior in 2010."

The guy's eyebrows crease, in thought. "That means he would've served under _my_ brother." There's a second of silence before the guy holds out his hand to Gaylen. "Verz Price. I'm a sophomore." Gaylen takes his hand in a firm handshake.

"I'm Gaylen Fowler. My older brother is named Dawson."

"Oh. That's awkward."

"Huh? Why?"

"Our brothers… Er, never mind."

"…Okay…" Gaylen doesn't really know what to say to that.

"Anyways, what are you doing, walking around by yourself?" _Surely you'd know better with your brother being a Commander_ was the implication.

"I go to school here now. I have no choice. My brother gave me a weapon, but… I couldn't hurt Sadie." He shows the weapon to Verz, who examines it. "It's nice. Your brother must've been pretty respected."

"Yeah, he was. He was kind of a prodigy because we were homeless and he had to learn how to fight monsters at age 8."

"Oh. Wow. All by himself?"

"He's a tough guy."

Verz appears to be trying not to laugh. "Yeah. He sure seems like it."

"I could never do what he did. Or what you did."

"But… Doesn't that leave big shoes unfilled?"

"Maybe it does. That doesn't matter, though. We're different people with different interests."

"…Hm."

"Is… Is that why you joined the hunt?" Gaylen asks hesitantly.

"Of course not!" Verz snaps. "Sure, my brother was a Commander, but that doesn't matter. People usually glaze right over him anyways." He scowls. "He was a co-Commander with his best friend Lyndon Cory. They had a supposedly foolproof plan to raid the school. They were outsmarted, though, by the zombies. The Head of the Zombies that year was the smartest that Panem's ever seen. She figured out their plan and there was absolute pandemonium. She herself took Lyndon. He told Haul to retreat, and Haul took those that survived and left."

"Oh… That's awful."

"I don't want to succumb to that kind of fuck-up."

"So… You want to succeed where he failed?"

"You could say that, I suppose. Reputation, after all. Family name, and all that shit. Not to mention Lynd's not a bad guy and definitely didn't deserve that fate."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It's not an easy life, though. When you join the hunt you have to swear to always shoot, no matter who you're facing. Whether it be brother, or friend, or even significant other."

"Oh. So you have a girlfriend that's a monster?"

"Don't be stupid, of course not."

"If you did, though, you'd quit the hunt, right?"

"Of course not. It'd never happen, anyways. My other brother State, he fell in love with a monster. A succubus, named Paradise. He quit the hunt to be with her. He joined her side willingly, the worst form of disgrace." His face scrunches like he just ate something really disgusting.

Gaylen looks at the glint of gold in his fingers, and the shiny medal that decorates Verz's jacket. "Some things are more important than these medals, though… Right?"

"I'll never know." There's a pause. "Look, kid, just… Be careful. Alright?"

"Okay. Thanks again for your help."

"Paralysis won't be the worst that happens next time," Verz says gravely.

Gaylen nods a bit, gripping the weapon and hoping that nothing worse comes for him before he gets back to Dawson.

The last period of the day is also glee club, and once again Jason Hollow impresses everyone by somehow being able to play his trumpet even though he lacks a head.

Locke shifts uncomfortably. As the full moon comes closer, most werewolves feel more and more powerful, but Locke just gets antsy. In all reality he's way too nice to be a werewolf. Edward, though, is both nervous and excited for the moon to surface from the sky.

Mr. Everdeen begins class first, silencing everyone with a magical song that makes them silent.

"Yes, it's that time of year again. Which means that we can sing some very scary songs." He reverses the spell he sang before to allow the kids to speak again. "So, what would you like to sing?"

"Bloody… BRAAAAAIIIIINNNSSS!" Kelley O'Callaghan says cheerfully, throwing his arms up in the air excitedly and losing one in the process. "SHIT!"

Edward facepalms. "Will somebody please just kill him this year!?" he asks.

"No way," Rue says, giggling.

"It's just too funny," Skeeter agrees.

"Besides, I don't know how to enchant weapons to be tangible for both ghosts and humans yet," says Ashely, a sophomore and sorceress.

"Santana probably knows," mumbles Jason. She was a senior when he was a sophomore, and a brilliant witch. If only she'd stop chasing him around with love potions. _How am I even supposed to drink her damn potions!? I don't have a head!_

"I don't see it," Bonnie says. Bonnie is a junior and a fortune-telling gypsy. "Sorry Edward."

"And spider bites do nothing to zombies," Posy adds.

"I can't help either," Prim sighs. She's an angel, and her boyfriend Rory is a demon. They usually try to avoid each other this time of year.

"You're on your own, pal," Locke says. Edward sighs.

"Besides, zombies don't have blood!" The other freshman in the glee club, Vardaman, proudly shows off his fangs from when he was bit first period. Gaylen's stomach flips.

"In this room… There's... BRAAAAIIIINNNNSSSS!" Kelley stumbles towards Gaylen, who quickly picks up his arm. "Don't come closer! I'll beat you with this!" Kelley dares to come closer, and the panicked freshman starts smacking the zombie with his own arm.

"Why aren't _you_ scared of my medal?!" Gaylen says, "My brother was one of the strongest Commanders that ever lived!"

"Oh yeah, he was never scared of those stupid medals. He got the brains of the Commander two years ago."

Gaylen sighs, and finally Kelley gives up and takes a seat, still armless.

"Anyways, what do you all think we should sing?" Mr. Everdeen asks.

"Monster Mash!" Vardaman says cheerfully.

Everyone responds at the same time, "We're NOT SINGING THE FUCKING MONSTER MASH!"

And that was the end of _that_ discussion.

~.~.

At the end of the day, the werewolves all head to their meeting place to prepare to raid the humans for some new victims.

Edward feels great being the alpha, and surveys his forces fondly. However, he also knows that the humans will have no mercy upon his kind. He has to be careful, because they're all as sharp as their arrows.

"Do you have any idea what we'll be facing?" Locke asks, looking a bit like a lost and scared puppy.

"All I know is that there's going to be carnage."

As the moon gets fuller, Edward's entire body pulses with adrenaline, energy, and power. Artelind lines up her forces, making sure any human that wants to is kept safely in the school. Then, she and her forces set out, running into the night. They barely stop. Some of the sophomores give looks to the ghosts but are quickly reminded by juniors and seniors of their peace pact.

However, any malicious monster that crosses them is dealt with, either by bullets or arrows or even blades. The werewolves spread out, and each has their own human target.

Artelind types quickly. "O-H, Edward. We have no reason to play pretend anymore."

The alpha wolf surprises the rest of the pact by coming into sight. Artelind quickly pulls back an arrow, but doesn't release it.

"You're right. It was pointless of us to even pretend. We had each other figured out from the moment we met in the woods. We've been playing this game for years now, trying to pretend we didn't know that the other would ultimately be our cause of death."

Artelind watches him, her eyes wide and her expression giving nothing away. The other hunters and other wolves are speechless.

"I know it's your job to always shoot. And if you're going to fight us… Then we're going to fight you."

There's a moment of tense silence. Artelind's fingers quiver only slightly on the bowstring.

"Let's just not have any regrets? Okay?" A small chuckle escapes Edward's lips before he unleashes his battle call and the pack attacks.

Artelind shoots at the other pack members, and Edward charges for the other humans. As much as she knows she doesn't want to, she shoots. When she hears a human scream, she realizes that she's lost focus, and has to continue being as ruthless as she was in the woods that night. For them.

She sees a werewolf on Verz and shoots him. Locke runs around in circles, chasing his tail mostly while trying to make it look like he's accomplishing things for the pack. Edward fights to the best of his ability, until an arrow hits him in the stomach and he's forced to draw his pack into retreat.

As soon as the last wolf is gone, Artelind and the hunters try to remedy those that have been scratched, but are forced to leave a couple of their comrades behind. Edward and his forces take their dead to the witches, and anxiously wait as the witches and wizards try to get spirits from them.

Edward and Artelind are both glad to be where they are, satisfied with the lot for the year. In the back of their minds, they regret not eliminating the other, but at least they're equal for now.

Maybe they'll be able to agree on relationship terms next year.


	4. Chapter 4: Too Late

**Chapter 4: Too Late**

The Hollow living room is comfy and cozy, the fireplace blazing, the TV on quietly.

Locke comes out with hot chocolate on a tray. "Here you are," he says to the three lumps of blankets that are curled up in the couch, handing each of them a mug.

"Thanks," they each say.

Locke passes around a bag of mini marshmallows. Kuzey dumps a huge handful on top of his, and Abri takes a few as well. Jason puts a few on top before giving it off to Locke.

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and since none of the drum majors had anywhere to go, they decided to spend the day together. As soon as they arrived Locke and Jason brought out the blankets and they put on the TV with some Thanksgiving specials. The group is now silent, but it's a comfortable silence.

Abri sips hot chocolate, her hair in a messy bun and her cheeks getting rosier and rosier. Kuzey blows on the hot chocolate slowly, making sure it's not too hot before he starts to sip it.

The group sits in silence a little bit more until Kuzey speaks up, in a quiet, timid voice. "I'm thankful that you're my friends."

Abri and Locke grin; even Jason cracks a smile.

"We're thankful to be your friends," Abri says. Kuzey looks up, his eyes sparkling with happiness. He never expected to make such close friends ever, and though he's tried so hard to make friendships, his affection was never returned. And now, his senior year, he's finally found people that appreciate his love and return it, which is more than he ever thought was possible.

"I'm thankful that we can all relax here. Ha, I'm no good at talking to people so this is more than I could ever ask for." Jason made friends on his own, and he's proud of himself for that fact. He was able to talk to people without Locke by his side. And considering that the boys are looking at some different colleges... That's probably a good thing.

The four friends sit together and drink hot chocolate, piled with marshmallows.

"I'm thankful for how things ended up," Locke says. He laughs a little bit. "I wasn't at the time, but now I realize that I wouldn't have had my senior year be any other way. I mean it."

"Glad things worked out for you, buddy," Jason says.

"You're not a… Thing… Are you?" says Abri, her inner shipper lighting up in her eyes.

"No," they both say, certainly.

"So you're both single, then?" Abri asks, looking interested. Kuzey sips hot chocolate, not wanting to jump into the conversation because he isn't too comfortable with it.

"Well…" Locke says, glancing at Jason.

"Yes, I am!" Jason says, quickly getting flustered. "Technically. I mean… It's complicated I guess…. I… I dunno!"

Abri and Locke snicker.

"It's okay Jason," Kuzey says, "You don't have to know. Like my big brother Ori says, you just need to take your time. You have lots of it."

"…" There's a pause. "Thanks Kuzey." It's advice that Jason needs to hear, really. He said it so simply that Jason couldn't help but take it to heart.

Kuzey smiles, so brightly the room practically lights up. He's glad he can help his friend.

The group sits in a comfortable silence, curled up in blankets by the fire and sipping hot chocolate. _Everything's going to turn out alright after all._

~.~.

Rue and Skeeter are tangled up on the couch, covered in two blankets, and warmer and more comfortable than they think they've ever been in their lives.

"Remember when we made an art piece? Freshman year?" Rue asks, her deep brown eyes looking at Skeeter and shining with gentle affection.

Skeeter laughs, his blue eyes softening up at the memory. "What a horrid, horrid time freshman year was. I mean, it was good, but also just…"

"I get what you mean," Rue sighs, grazing her fingers lightly over his arms. The next word comes out as a quiet, gentle whisper. "Horrid."

"Things have gotten better though," he says, enjoying having her in his arms.

"Slowly but surely they have, haven't they? They can only get better and better as time goes. You know that, don't you?" she asks, entwining her fingers in his under the blanket. The Macy's parade plays quietly in the background, and the couple sits together in a comfortable silence.

"Thank you for what you've done for me," Skeeter whispers against Rue's soft, curly hair, gently kissing the back of her neck. "I couldn't have made it without you…"

Rue giggles quietly, leaning back against him. "I couldn't have made it without _you_."

"Shut up." Skeeter buries his face in her back and tries to wipe the smile off his face, to no avail.

They both went back to face the parade as a float appeared on the screen, and the parade continued. Nestled together and feeling warm and cozy, the couple enjoys their Thanksgiving together.

~.~.

Jason feels slightly nervous, more nervous than he expected (or wanted) to feel on his way to visit Santana. He hasn't seen her in forever, after all. Who knows, she could have traded her punk rock style in for something totally different, like being a hipster. Jason shivers. That's scary thought. Santana as a hipster.

He goes up the steps and knocks on the door, hoping that he doesn't find her in a beanie and wearing fake glasses too big for her face. He's only been in her house once before, and she was not in an emotionally good place that time. This time, it's definitely going to be better. Definitely. What could go wrong?

 _Well, a lot of things can go wrong,_ Jason thinks. He's not exactly a shining optimist.

When Santana opens the door, though, she looks like herself. She really hasn't changed much, which is a relief to Jason. She smiles and invites him in, and he follows her.

"And who do you think you are, waltzing in here?" asks a very loud, booming voice with a thick Irish accent.

"I was invited… Who are you, Irish John Cena?" Jason says, ready for a fight. So far, this guy ranks just below Ben Hoffsteader on the list of people Jason would like to punch in the face.

"Stop being so hyper and just listen-"

"Ya don't know me!? I'm Diesel Bundren, AKA the Prude's boyfriend of course!" Jason's heart drops through his chest.

Boyfriend? This total douchecanoe...Santana's...boyfriend?

"Wait, listen, it's not-"

"It totally is! C'mon, Prude, just admit it already, you're my girlfriend!"

Jason tries to get ahold of himself through the shock, but looks slightly pale. "R...Really?"

"Really!" Diesel interjects.

Jason glances at Santana, feeling slightly helpless, He wants her to step in and say he's just joking and shove him off. He waits, any second surely she'll punch him right in the face, or kick him right in the balls. Jason isn't sure which he'd like better.

But she doesn't. She goes silent, and takes a seat on the couch, not looking up at either of them. "It's… Complicated." She sits with her hands folded on her lap, so stiff and formal, unlike Jason's ever seen her before.

"No it's not! We're dating and in _love_ , that's all there is to it!" Diesel sits beside her and puts an arm around her shoulders. Jason is experiencing slight trouble breathing as he slowly takes a seat.

"It's really…" Santana bites her lip. "It's just-"

"Santana!" calls a woman's voice from the other room, "The snacks are ready, come and get them!"

"I'll be right there, Mother." Santana gets up. "Excuse me." She walks out to the kitchen, and Jason knows that she's definitely not herself.

"So," the guy named Diesel says, putting his legs up on a stool and leaning back as if this room was his own home, "What do you think you're doing now, huh? Hanging around my fling?"

Jason's throat goes dry. He wants to get up and tackle this guy, but feels like that wouldn't be the best thing to do with Santana and her parents right near. The Locke in his head warns him that this is a guy at least three or four years older than him, and even if he was Irish John Cena and Jason could still totally take him..he knew he shouldn't confront him like that. He makes himself talk, trying not to sound hostile. "Santana is my… Friend," he says, almost choking on the word.

"Ah, but I'll bet your family doesn't have money, huh? Tough break. After all, she'll never be allowed to see you unless your family has wealth or status. Hm, I'll bet you don't know what that is, huh? Too bad you have neither and I have both. Enough money to go through college with no debt and buy a small island after all that, too, enough status to charm every girl… Heh, every _one_ at the party… Ah, but you wouldn't know that, now would you?" his voice is laced with the venom of a snake, though he seems so incredibly laidback and carefree.

"That doesn't matter. Not to her-"

"But it matters to Mommy and Daddy. And parents always know best, don't they?" He laughs.

"In the end, that won't matter, though." Jason is struggling to keep a level head.

"You poor, naive boy," Diesel sighs. "This isn't a fairytail. When you're older, you'll realize that we're all damned to be fucked over at some point. Besides, you're so much younger than her. Girls like to have older men, don't ya know? You're just a boy. Whatever she may've had for you is over, she's grown out of it."

A lump forms in Jason's throat that he swallows down.

"You'll just have to face the facts, boy." Diesel laughs, flashing Jason a malicious grin. "You're already much too late."

Jason's heart sinks further down in his chest, his fists and teeth clench. _He's right_ … says a part of Jason, _It's been two years now. She's done with you… You were too late._ It's the one thing out of everything Diesel said that Jason could control, but he was right.

" _You're already much too late."_

Santana comes back, laying out bowls of chips with a blank expression on her face. Diesel has on that stupid carefree smile, and in that moment he takes the first place on the list of people whose heads Jason would like to see explode. She sits next to Diesel, her lips pulled into a tight frown. Jason feels like he might like to scream, or cry, or maybe throw up.

Why did this whole relationship thing have to be so complicated for him!?

"Er, Santana, could you show me where the restroom is?" he asks, breaking the silence. She nods a little bit, standing up.

"Yeah, sure. Follow me." She walks out of the room slowly, her thick black ponytail swaying behind her. Jason follows, trying to ignore the stinkeye given to him by Diesel.

"Here you are," she says, opening a door for him.

He clears his throat. "Thanks."

"Sure thing," she says quietly, looking at her shoes.

He's about to ask why the hell she's with this guy, what's going on, why she didn't tell him earlier or why she doesn't dump him, but suddenly she's kissing him again.

If he'd waited any longer to ask the way to the bathroom, Jason might've actually pissed his pants, but luckily he can control the urge, trying to focus on nothing but her being there in that moment, with him, trying to not have any other care in the world. Santana pulls back much too soon, her bright red lips up in a small smile.

Jason knows that smile. She used it once, last time he was in her house. It's a trying-to-hide-the-tears smile. All he wants to do is save her, but he knows there's nothing he can do. Diesel's right, Jason is young, naive, and doesn't have money or status… He was right, as much as Jason didn't want him to be, he was right-

"Sleepy Hollow?" Santana says, right before he's about to close the door.

"Hm?"

She looks around the room, biting her lip.

"It's not too late for us. Not yet."


	5. Chapter 5: Surprise!

**Chapter Five: Surprise!**

It's mid-December, and yet no snow has fallen. To some, like Gaylen Fowler and his family, the warmer-than usual weather was a relief. To Gaylen and his older brother and sister, the warm weather meant a warmer hearth, easier firewood, and not freezing. To others, like Rue and Skeeter, no snow means a lot of dreariness and a lot of mud.

Rue gets a message one night while she's watching a movie with Skeeter that surprises her.

"Hey," she says, "I got a message from Ben."

Skeeter looks up. "What!? Ben!?"

"Mhm."

"What is it about?" Skeeter seems skeptical. He couldn't help it, really.

"Let's see." Skeeter raises his eyebrow, very skeptical.

"Hm… Oh, nice!" Rue says, smiling.

"What?"

"Tanner's birthday is coming up this Saturday and Ben's having a surprise party for him!"

"Oh." Skeeter didn't know what he was expecting, but that really wasn't it. "Well, that sounds like fun. Where?"

"His place," Rue says, "He asked me if we'd come help set up."

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Let me know the time and we'll get there."

It was kind of awkward, the whole situation with Ben. Ben is Skeeter's cousin, but he wasn't originally on such good terms with the group. He was in a pretty bad place, bitter, angry, and took it out on everyone. After meeting and falling in love with a mutual friend, Tanner Cooper, he started to try and mend his relationships with the others. Some, like Jason Hollow, haven't fully (or even started to) forgive him. Others, like Tanner and Rue, are there when he needs a friend. And some, like Skeeter, are in the middle.

Skeeter still doesn't fully trust Ben, but at the same time he knows that hating him won't do anything. So, he's working on the process of forgiving Ben. He can't give his cousin full trust and forgiveness yet, but he at least doesn't hate Ben anymore, which is more than some can say.

That Saturday, December 19th, is one week off after Tanner's birthday, and the day of the surprise party. Ben would've wanted it to be on the actual day, but finals for college were during that time and Ben couldn't have everyone coming home from college for it. Oh well, Ben knew Tanner wouldn't mind, and that either way he'd be perfectly happy. Besides, it will definitely add to the surprise. Celebrating Tanner's birthday on a Skye call in dark rooms, with hair messy and voice groggy, papers everywhere and a frenzied attempt to study as the clock goes on midnight… Yeah, that was fine, and Ben always liked to hear Tanner's voice, but this would be much more enjoyable for all involved. Rue and Skeeter meet at Ben's house along with some the O'Callaghan brothers, Edward and Kelley. Together the group starts to put up all kinds of decorations.

"How's college?" Rue asks Ben as they hang streamers.

"Not bad," Ben says, shrugging. "A lot of lost sleep."

"What are you majoring in?"

"I'm still undecided. Taking my Gen-Ed classes to knock them out while I try to decide."

"Oh, yeah. That's smart."

Ben shrugs. "Tanner's studying psychology. We've barely been able to talk with finals going on, though. That's why I wanted to surprise him. After the week we've had, it'll be nice to be able to relax.

"Well, good." Rue smiles. She's glad to hear such good news about her friends. She also can't wait to be out of high school and into college. College seems so close now, especially with her and Skeeter applying to college with resumes and essays and scholarships in mind. She's sick of waking up so early just to drag her ass to school and having to ask to go to the bathroom… She's pretty ready for graduation. And so is Skeeter.

Others start to arrive to help with the last-minute tasks. Prim and her boyfriend's sister Posy arrive together, greeting everyone and making polite conversation with Ben.

Locke drags a seething Jason in the door, who is only coming because he actually likes Tanner, although he hates Ben's guts. He tries not to scowl as they go in. Well, he doesn't really try. Locke nags him to be nice as they go, but it doesn't do much.

Santana comes, as well this time without the Irish John Cena, much to Jason's relief. Other alumni appear, as well, bringing lots of cookies and food and happy greetings. Elijah and Nate, who were seniors when Santana was, two years ago, come with their significant others, Linus and Daphne. Linus's friend Arrow, who is also Tanner's ex, comes as well, with his boyfriend Cor. Of all the alumni, Arrow was the one that kept the most contact with Tanner, and there really were no hard feelings between them after the break-up. Other glee club members come, including Ashley and Priscilla, the sophomores, and some of the friends Tanner made from Liberty.

A lot of them have awkward conversation with Ben, but most of the conversations fizzle off. Jason does a favor to Tanner and stays five feet away from Ben at all times. He knows Tanner and Locke don't like when they quarrel, but the fact still stands that the two hate each other.

Locke does go over, though, to chat with him.

"Hey!" he says, taking Ben's hand and shaking it firmly. Ben looks relieved that Jason stayed behind to talk to Rue and Skeeter.

"Uh, hi." Ben and Locke have never really had a real conversation before. Usually it's been Locke holding back Jason as Tanner holds back Ben and Locke and Tanner having a conversation. In fact, this is really the first time they've really faced each other one-on-one.

"How're you doing? How's the life away from here?" Locke asks, the air around him so light and friendly Ben can't feel too awkward.

"Not too bad. How have you been doing?"

"Pretty good, pretty good. And Tanner is doing well?"

"Yeah, he's well. He's still recovering from the low-blow from his parents, but he's enjoying being more independent. I think it's doing him well. His roommate is pretty nice, too, and they're helping each other out. He's doing lots of things, making lots of friends…" _And it's making me nervous._ But it wasn't really his place to say that at the moment. He trusts Tanner completely, really he does. He's just afraid that Tanner will find someone better than him and dump him.

Locke (that bastard) must see it in his eyes because he pats Ben's shoulder reassuringly. "Hey, man, you really don't need to be worried. You are the apple of Tanner's eye. He's crazy about you, alright? All he talks about is you. The distance doesn't matter."

Ben smiles a bit, nodding. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Locke nods. "It's nice to see you and hear about how you've been. And I think it's really sweet, what you're doing for Tanner."

"Nice to see someone that doesn't hate me still," Ben says, partly as a joke.

"Don't worry," Locke says, "As time passes it'll get better. You'll see."

"Sure." Ben wonders why Locke is being so friendly to him, when Jason can't stand him. Not that he's really complaining. It's nice to have a friend he can talk to in Panem. He's made a group of college friends, but he can't avoid Panem because it is Tanner's home and he's very connected to it and the people there, which means that Ben is indirectly connected to it. Most of Panem hates Ben, many people only came to the party for Tanner and are anxiously waiting for him to arrive. It was nice for Ben to have a civil conversation with someone here. Rue and Locke reached out to him, which he is very thankful for.

Ben checks the time. "Oh, I have to go pick him up!" He leaves. Locke goes back to Jason.

"How could you talk to that Asshole without punching him in the face?" Jason asks him.

"Ben needs some friends," Locke says. "He's really trying, I think."

"He's an asshole," says Jason.

"It's Tanner's birthday, Jason. You have to be nice to Ben for him."

"I'll be civil. That's as far as I'll go."

Locke sighs. "Fine."

"Ben just shot me a text, they're going to be here soon! Everybody hide!"

Everyone hides behind chairs and chairs and Rue shuts off the lights. As the group waits, people occasionally let out giggles and set off laughing fits that are hurriedly shushed. The door opens, Tanner going in first and turning on the lights. Everyone smiles and jumps of their spots. "Surprise!"

Tanner jumps but immediately bursts out laughing. "You _guys_!" Ben shuts the door behind them, smiling. Tanner hugs the person closest to him, who happens to be Jason. Jason sucks it up and hugs him back. Tanner laughs and so the party starts.

Tanner holds Ben's hand the whole time and refuses to let go, even when he's eating. Tanner bounces all around, talking to everyone, giving one-armed hugs without letting go of Ben's hand. He chatters with his friends from home, Ben awkwardly listening and hanging out.

Tanner goes over to Jason and Locke, even though Ben desperately tugs on his hand to go the other way.

"Hey!" Locke says.

"Hi!" Tanner says cheerfully, taking Locke into a hug. "How have you been, how's your senior year?!"

"It's good, it's good," Locke smiles. "Everything is falling into place for me! How about you!"

"I was kind of knocked down, but I'm getting there." Locke and Tanner had kept close contact. After Tanner had come out to his parents and had been kicked out, Locke was one of his lifelines. Locke was always there for him, and knew what he was going through because Locke lived with Jason's family after both of his parents passed away. They were very alike in personality and could help each other out when the other needed it, which was dire for Tanner as he was thrown into the college atmosphere and had to get out and make some new friends of his own.

"Good." Locke smiles.

"Hi Jason," Tanner says, "How have you been? How's your senior year been?"

"Oh, it's been pretty awesome." Jason grins, trying to ignore Ben. "Really good year."

"Glad to hear it!" Tanner says. Ben stays stiff, trying to not make it awkward. "Say hi to them, Benny," Tanner says, nudging him.

"Hi," Ben says curtly. Jason resists the urge to sneer at him.

"Hi," Jason says. Locke nudges him as a warning to just be the bigger person.

"See? You can get along!" Tanner says.

"As long as nobody pushes it," Ben says.

"I hope you guys are enjoying your senior year. I think that should be the best year of high school, really. It sure was for us," Tanner says, kissing the side of Ben's jaw giggling, while Ben smiles despite himself. Jason feels sick they're so cute. Especially because Ben is such an asshole and Tanner is so sweet to everyone. Ben definitely didn't deserve Tanner, and everyone knew it, especially Ben himself.

"It's been good so far, but it's really only just begun!" Locke says.

Jason groans. "I just want it to be over already," he sighs.

"It'll go by faster than you think, really it will." Tanner laughs. "It still feels like senior year went by in just one day."

"I sure hope so," Jason says, trying to ignore the awkwardness that is lingering as Ben and Jason try to avoid looking at each other.

"Thanks for coming, I'll talk to you later!" Tanner says, and the others wave a bit.

Tanner then goes over to talk to Rue and Skeeter, and Ben follows, resisting the urge to turn around and flip off Jason while saying something about Gutterballs, in reference to their time bowling in summer gym, which Jason sucks at.

He wouldn't possibly do that with Tanner around, though. Ben was smarter than that.

The party goes by with plenty of laughter and fun, and soon Tanner's bidding everyone farewell with last hugs of goodbye. Once everyone's gone, he turns to Ben.

"Thank you for doing this for me," he says. "I had a great time, even if you didn't. So thank you. This has been a great birthday." He gives Ben a gentle kiss, which Ben returns with a smile.

"Come on, let's go cuddle and take a nap."

Ben smiles. "Sounds good to me."


	6. Chapter 6: Midterms

**Chapter 6: Midterms**

Since the school year started late for the high schoolers, they are facing their week of midterms at the end of January. Santana went back to college after winter break, but Jason didn't get to talk to her much because of that stupid Irish John Cena that claims to be romantically involved with her. (Honestly what the hell is that asshole's problem!? And why the hell is all this confusing relationship stuff happening to _Jason_ of all people!?)

Jason still isn't sure what to do. She's still talking to him, over Skype, but he still has a lingering thought that maybe she really is over him and Irish John Cena was right. But if that asshole was right, why would Santana kiss him? Jason doesn't know what to think. He talked to Locke about it, but Locke is just as clueless about romantic relationships as Jason is. The boys have no idea what's going on, and Jason doesn't know what to say. _Should he bring it up? Should he just ignore all of that? Should he try to figure out what's going on? Or would that make her upset?_ Jason has no idea what to do. So he decides to do what he always does when faced with a relationship problem he's confused about: he avoids it and hopes for the best.

On top of all of that, with Santana being gone and leaving Jason confused on what the best course of action is, this week begins Panem High's finals week. So not only does Jason have to worry about whether or not he should confront Santana and ask her what the hell they are, but he also has to worry about tests in each of his classes. Wonderful.

Locke is responsible and actually studies in advance. Jason, however, is much lazier, and decides he can afford to put it off. Well, now he's scrambling.

So, Locke, being the responsible friend he is, decides that the best course of action is to have a Panem-Liberty study party. Or, as Jason calls it, the Panem-Liberty cry circle.

"Oh, lighten up. You'll do fine."

"Easy for you to say." This always happens. Who could forget the finals week of their freshman year. It was Locke's whispering pep talks that caused the boys to meet Skeeter and get roped into playing instruments for the glee club. It changed their lives, that's for sure. That summer they met Ben Hoffsteader, who now ranks number _2_ on Jason's most-hated-people-like-ever-yes-I'm-serious-Locke list. That stupid Irish John Cena Diesel's taken the number one spot now.

"I'm serious. You always get yourself so worked up and then you get awesome grades."

"Just because I got good grades last year doesn't mean I'm going to get good grades this year," Jason says.

"I know, but you're going to do fine. Remember when we were sitting in the band room after drum major auditions and you were going to leave because you said it's pointless and you're not going to get it anyways so why stay?"

"Yeah, but I did suck-"

"You didn't suck. Obviously you didn't because you got it." Locke smiles when he talks about it now. Yeah, that was a bad night, probably the most irrelevant and useless Locke had ever felt, but now he sees that even though his senior year isn't what he pictured it to be, it's still been a hell of a lot of fun. He wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Whatever," Jason huffs.

Locke sends out the invite over text, making a list of the people he texted to make sure he didn't forget any.

"I think I'm just going to invite Abri and Kuzey." He promises that they don't have to stay with the other group, hoping to curb any anxiety Kuzey might have about it.

"It's amazing, you know," Locke says, stretching out on the couch, "You really stepped up to the plate this year. I think you grew a lot since last year. You learned how to branch out and got more confident being a drum major and learned how to make friends and be a better friend."

"Shut up."

"I… I know we're looking at different colleges." Jason stiffens and nods. "And I think you could handle being on your own. I know you don't think that, but I have faith that you could."

"I'm not likable, though. You're likable. People like me because they like you and you like me for some reason."

"Kuzey and Abri like you. I had nothing to do with that. Santana likes you. She likes you in a way that not even I do." Locke laughs.

"Maybe she doesn't, though," groans Jason. "She did at one point, God knows why, but maybe she doesn't anymore."

"I dunno, maybe you should just ask her what that's all about."

Jason mocks his tone, "I dunno, maybe you should just _shut up_."

Locke laughs a bit, amused. "Look man, I'm just saying. You're better than you give yourself credit for. And I know that even thinking about college and being away from home and making new friends and growing up gives you anxiety, but… I think you're more ready for it than you think."

"Thanks," sighs Jason. Now if only he could believe that for himself.

"Just think about it. Okay?"

"Alright, fine."

"Really think about it. Don't just tell me you will."

"Whatever," Jason sighs.

"You're so stubborn and impossible sometimes. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," sighs Jason. "I know."

"We'll work on that."

"Whatever." Jason really hates thinking about the future. He's growing up but isn't sure if he's ready to be as independent as the college kids he knows. Not to mention the financial worries, and the fact that Jason really isn't too sure what the hell he'd like to do with his life. All his friends have it figured out, too. Rue and Skeeter are both working, they both know where they want to go to college and what they want to go for. Rue was already accepted into the college of her choice and the music program there. Skeeter has his audition scheduled to go into music. Even Locke has his college shit together and knows what he wants to do. Jason has no clue.

Right now, there's really only one thing that Jason Hollow isn't confused about: the fact that he's very, very confused about every aspect of his life.

For the moment, though, Jason has to focus on studying for his finals above everything else. If he doesn't get good grades, goodbye scholarships. He's definitely feeling the pressure.

The day of the study party comes, and Jason feels nervous looking at his heavy backpack, full of notebooks and books and words and formulas and facts he's going to have to remember throughout the week. It seems like a lot, that's for sure.

Artelind from Liberty arrives first, Edward not far behind. Rue and Skeeter come together. Abri comes next, and Kuzey soon after. Many of the others had other plans, but it's a good-sized group. Not too many. They all greet each other and last comes a boy that the other Panemites don't know.

"Pax!" Locke smiles.

"Hi!" says the boy, with light brown hair, freckles, and black glasses.

"Is it really you? Dude!" Pax was really good friends with Locke when they were in elementary school together. Jason didn't know the two still talked.

"He didn't have plans so I figured why not? Didn't want Artelind to be the only Liberty kid here." Locke smiles. Pax takes a seat, waving to Artelind who wordlessly waves back. She's abnormally close to Edward O'Callaghan, because there aren't enough blankets for everyone to have one and they have to share. Neither of them are complaining, though. Which is why Locke conveniently couldn't find the other blankets in the closet.

"How have you been Pax?" Jason asks.

"Not too bad," the boy smiles.

Jason notices that Kuzey looks slightly awkward and uncomfortable.

"Well, I think that us three drum majors are going to scat to my room and have some music on. How does that sound?"

"Good," says Abri.

"Yes," Kuzey says, seeming relieved to be leaving the room of so many unfamiliar faces.

Locke makes popcorn and brings up blankets for each of them, and they all thank him. Jason puts on a playlist of instrumental music, and then they get to work. They study quietly, picking at the popcorn and just enjoying being in the presence of familiar friends. Studying with people around to encourage you is much better than being cooped up in your room. Together, the three of them watch some Video Sparknotes on their English texts. Abri and Jason compare notes.

Abri and Jason make practice problems for each other and share calculator tips. Kuzey sometimes stops studying to listen to the music, or to draw on a sheet of scratch paper, or to adjust the blanket and his position. The others don't mind, though.

In the living room, Rue and Skeeter quiz each other on English, Locke studying from his notes and from previous tests and quizzes. Edward studies silently and does math and science, getting closer and closer to Artelind, who moves in closer to him. They're so snuggly and affectionate.

Luckily for Locke, in inviting Pax he's not the only single person there. So while the other couples end up being more fluffy than scholarly, Locke is able to get some quality study time in. He figured Edward and Artelind would want an excuse to hang out together.

Pax studies math and science, most of the classes he's chosen to take with his senior year. Locke preferred music classes, so he took one math and one science so he could take a couple of half-year music classes that he'd enjoy.

Eventually, everyone is bored and overwhelmed by the studying.

"I don't have the attention span for this crap," Jason mutters, closing his book just as Locke appears at the door.

"So, what's Locke's situation, huh?" Abri asks.

"Huh?"

"Y'know… Like, romantic-type situation?"

"Er, I dunno."

"You don't know?" she gives him a look.

"I mean, we've been kind of hung up on mine lately because mine is just confusing. I dunno, I don't think he likes anyone like that."

"Huh. Interesting." Abri has a look in her eyes.

"Why?"

"Why do you _think_ I'm asking?"

"How should I know your motives!?"

"It's because _I_ like him, dumbass."

"O-Oh!" Jason says dumbly. "Oh. Oh."

"I don't see why you think it's a big shock. He's adorable, and he's nice, and he's funny, and he's just a good guy and he's likable. Why wouldn't girls like him?"

"…Oh."

"You can't tell him though. Please."

"I won't…" _Was it really obvious?_ Jason didn't notice. Probably because Abri acts in that flirty way around most anyone.

"Good. I'm trusting you."

"He hasn't notice. And he won't notice. He's just as dumb about this as I am."

"Good. Because you're a great guy but you're really dumb about love."

"That's not a nice thing to say to Jason," Kuzey says.

"Sorry. You're just oblivious, that's all."

"Yeah," sighs Jason.

"I think you're great," Kuzey tells him.

Jason smiles a bit. "Thanks, Kuzey. You're great too."

"Thanks!" He beams.

Locke opens the door just then. "Hey. We were going to take a study break and watch a movie. Would you like to come?"

"Yeah!" Kuzey says, and the others agree. Locke goes back out to the living room and the others follow. Edward and Artelind are practically snuggled together. Rue and Skeeter are tangled together, and Pax is a lump of blankets with just a head sticking out.

Locke sits back on the couch and curls up, the others finding places to get comfy. Jason can't help but look back and forth between Abri and Locke, wondering what they would be like as a couple. He doesn't think he can see it.

Locke puts Inside Out in for the group to watch, talking excitedly about the movie score. Jason watches how Abri listens and looks over at him, and wonders if maybe it was obvious and just went over both of their heads. Jason is so confused.

The movie plays and eventually the stress is lifted off of their shoulders as they get lost in the fictional world. They have a discussion about each person's islands of personality as shown in the movie. Kuzey had never seen it, and is amazed by it. When the movie is over, everyone feels warm and cozy and much less stressed.

Soon everyone leaves, and Locke and Jason fold the blankets together and put them away. They have dinner together and Jason feels slightly calmer than he did that morning.

Yeah, Jason is… Still confused about a lot of things that are happening around him… but now, he's less afraid.

And that's something, at least.


	7. Chapter 7: Valentines

**Chapter 7: Valentines**

When the month of February comes around, many of the Panem high schoolers have visions of romance in their heads and in their hearts. Bonnie and Posy both wait, secretly hoping that Kelley O'Callaghan will ask one of them to go out on the day of love. Some, like Prim and Rory, already have that special someone and are looking for ways to find the perfect gift for them.

And some, like Jason, wish that Valentine's Day would just fuck off already. It's all way to bright and sappy for him. Not that he has much to care for anyways. It was just another normal Sunday just like any other. Maybe tomorrow he and Locke would go after school and get some discount chocolate.

That's why it's a total surprise when Jason answers the door that Sunday and sees Santana there. _Damn, she's good at surprising me._ He didn't think to get anything for her because he still has no idea what the hell is going on with them!

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sleepy Hollow," she says.

"Er… Hey…" he says, feeling very awkward.

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, uh, please do." He steps aside and lets her in. She goes in and he leads her to the living room.

"Santana." Locke looks surprised.

"Hey," she says. Jason gives Locke a desperate look that screams _"Help me!"_ but Locke can't do anything to help now. Not that he could do anything before.

"I'll go… Do the dishes." A lame excuse, but neither of them really care anyways. Locke leaves and Jason sits, Santana sitting by him.

"Shouldn't you be with Irish John Cena?" Jason asks, sounding bitter though he didn't really mean to.

"We met up and then decided to part and just lie to our parents. He wanted to go find a Valentine's Day fling and I wanted to come here."

"…Oh." Jason has no idea what to say but he feels awkward and his heart is pounding with anticipation, the questions of what they are and how she feels about him on the tip of his tongue, just waiting to come out-

"I know this is really confusing," she says, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. Well, she basically summed it all up, didn't she? "I'm sorry it had to be so… Hazy and weird."

"It's fine…"

"I understand if you want to just make it easy and call it quits. It'd certainly be less stressful for you. It's not fair for me to make your senior year so crazy and confusing."

Oh… Maybe Jason would've decided it was best to just quit a couple years ago. Maybe when he was a junior or a sophomore he would have just said " _fuck it"_ and let her go. It really is the easiest solution. There would be much less stress and pressure on Jason. He wouldn't constantly be left wondering. They can finally go their separate ways and just be friends. Which is what Jason always thought he wanted. Really, this is the best way. It makes the most sense. It's the easier way, the less stressful way.

"No." He surprises even himself. Sure, Jason is used to throwing out logic and acting on his emotions. But usually he acts off of emotions like rage and stress, never emotions like this. This was new and scary, confusing and challenging, but it was a battle Jason was totally willing to fight. Acting off of love like this is something totally new for Jason. And it's frightening. But he's made his decision and he's not changing his mind any time soon. "No. We're going to make this work. If you think I'm just going to let you go back to that asshole, you're wrong."

"Oh…" She wasn't expecting a response like this.

"Look, Santana, I wasn't ready for it when I was a sophomore. I was awkward and still figuring myself out and dependent on others to pull me back to reality. I knew as a sophomore that I wouldn't have been able to treat you right. And as a junior I felt the same way. I still wasn't ready then. But I'm ready _now_. I've grown a lot, learned a lot… Figured out a lot about myself and the world and relationships. I didn't think you would wait me out this long, I didn't even really think that I deserved for you to. But, you're still here. And I really like you, I think about you… A lot. I'm not going to let this break off and die. Not when I'm finally ready to step up to the plate of committing to a relationship. And even if you don't feel like that about me… You can't keep putting yourself in harm's way with that jackass."

"Oh…" This took a _totally_ different turn than she was expecting. She was expecting for him to break it off, and instead she got this whole deep-ass monologue out of him! Which she isn't really complaining about, but now her stupid heart is going to make her feel all these emotions. "My parents may want me to end up with Diesel. But they're not going to write my future. We might have to keep it kind of on the down-low, but… Even with Diesel pretending to have feelings for me, I never really stopped having feelings for you."

Jason releases a breath that he didn't really know he was holding. It feels like a giant weight's just been lifted off his chest. "So…" What now? Is he expected to make the next move?

"So… Do you wanna do this? For real this time?"

Damn, Jason's heart is pounding, his ears are burning, and this moment almost feels too good to be true. "Yes. I do."

Santana smiles at him. "Good. So… Will you be my official, true-feelings boyfriend?"

Jason feels like he's on fire, practically. "Yeah. T-Totally."

She smiles. "This visit was much easier than I thought it'd be."

"Yeah…"

She kisses his cheek and smiles. "Do you have plans for the rest of today?"

"Not really… But I think I have some now." He turns on the television and she leans against him. Jason's pretty new to cuddling but he does what his instincts tell him to. They watch some show that Jason doesn't even remember, but he does remember the warmth of Santana against him and the smell of her hair and how soft her skin is… Feeling her breathe gently against him, calm and peaceful.

Sure, this definitely isn't the easy route. Far from it, actually. There are going to be plenty of obstacles in the way. Plenty of embarrassing teasing Jason is going to have to go through, and of course, parents and that jackass Diesel will prove a problem. But Jason doesn't care about those at the moment. Both of them are so headstrong he's convinced that they can take on what stands in their way. He decides that they'll deal with those obstacles when they get there.

But, for now, this just feels so… Right. Everything unfolded and went just according to plan. Even if it didn't seem like it when he was just a sophomore and watched her walk away, it all ended up working out.

Jason closes his eyes and actually smiles.

 _It all worked out in the end after all._

~.~.

 _Abri, what do you do if you see a cute guy?_

That's the text she receives from Kuzey that afternoon, completely out of the blue with no context. Abri is the kind to be extremely curious, but she bites back the questions and types out a careful response.

 _Just play it cool._

She wants to ask where he is, who's the guy, she wants the details! But he doesn't help her much.

 _How do you do that?_

 _Just treat him like you would treat anyone else._

 _But he's cute?_

Abri considers. She's always found it easy to keep her cool around people she deems attractive. She's always been a flirty person, really. It's why having a crush is pretty easy for Abri. She doesn't get all flustered like that.

 _Just ask him about himself._

Kuzey looks at the text under the table, feeling extremely flustered. He looks back up at said cute guy, who noticed him eating by himself at the café and came over to talk to him. Sure, he had been at that study party last month but Kuzey didn't expect him to _recognize_ him! He was cute when he was wrapped in blankets but he's just unfairly attractive in public, with his light brown hair fixed somewhat neatly, his glasses on straight, his pretty smile not covered by blankets, wearing a collared gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows… It isn't fair! Kuzey feels like a mess next to him.

"So… What about yourself?"

Pax looks up. "Hm? Oh. Well, I have an older sister named Marx. She graduated from Liberty when I was a sophomore. She's very smart and she gives me lots of advice. I really like math and science, but especially math. Sometimes I like to draw but I'm not great at it."

"I like to draw!" Kuzey smiles. _He's unfairly cute_ , thinks Pax.

"What else do you like to do?"

"I like to spend time with my friends and family. I'm a drum major for our school's marching band."

"Oh wow! That's awesome!"

Kuzey smiles. "Thanks."

"What's your family like?"

"Oh, I have a big brother. His name is Ori! He goes to college and has two super best friends named Brock and Icarus, who are really nice. He's really nice and he loves me a lot. He's always there to help me."

"I love awesome big siblings," says Pax. Kuzey nods.

"How about friends?"

"Ori, Abri and Jason are my best friends," says Kuzey. "I just met Abri and Jason this year. They're the other two drum majors. They were really nice to me and make me feel happy."

"That's awesome."

The conversation fizzles off again. Kuzey checks his phone under the table.

 _Now what do I do!?_

He receives a text quickly, like Abri was staring at her screen and waiting for an update. _Be smooth about it, but ask him if he has a girlfriend._

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Pax looks up, surprised. "Me? Oh, no, I don't. Do you?"

"No," Kuzey says, his face and ears flushed with embarrassment.

 _He doesn't. Now what?_

 _Play it cool and ask for his number!_

Abri so wants to know the details. Waiting is so frustrating for her!

Kuzey looks at the texts and then glances up at Pax.

"Your number?"

"Hm?"

Kuzey blushes bright red and stares at his food, pushing it around on his plate.

"Are you alright?"

Kuzey nods and blushes harder, staring at his food.

"You mean my cell number?" Pax pulls a pen from his wallet and writes ten digits on a napkin. He hands it to Kuzey. "There you are. I have to go meet my sister now but send me a text!"

He gets up and waves. Kuzey waves back a bit, still bright red and embarrassed as Pax goes out the door.

Kuzey glances at the numbers, put down neatly in black ink. Then he gets out his phone.

 _Ori I just got a cute guy's number what do I do now?_

He puts the napkin gingerly in his bag, puts his plate away in the designated area, puts on his hat and mittens and scarf, and goes back out, starting for home.

When he gets home and hangs up his snowy winter items, his phone starts buzzing like crazy. He looks at the messages and sees a bunch of excited messages from Abri.

 _Abri is so hyper but she's still a good friend._ He texts some calm responses, going up to his room. He uncaps a marker and goes back to the swirly patterns he'd drawn on the wall. He continues the swirls from where he left off, and the uniform motion of drawing is able to calm him down a little. He keeps drawing for a bit until he feels calmer, though Pax hasn't really left his thoughts since he left the café.

He caps the marker again and pulls the napkin out of his backpack. He sees a text from his older brother with advice.

 _Just say, "Hi, this is Kuzey." That way he knows that number is you._

Kuzey puts the digits into his phone nervously, biting his lip. But, he does what Ori says thankfully, sending a text to the number.


	8. Chapter 8: St Patrick's Day

**Chapter 8: St. Patrick's Day**

Songs used: Now We Are Free, Edge of the Moon, Heartland, and Harry's Game, all by Celtic Thunder

Kelley is already awake and dressed when Edward stalks out to the kitchen for breakfast. He doesn't have a single clue how his brother could possibly be so awake so early. Kelley gives his brother a smile.

"Morning!" he chirps.

Edward grunts, and puts a bagel into the toaster. He still has to get dressed, wearing his T-shirt and sweatpants, dark red hair sticking up everywhere. He isn't wearing his glasses either, he's too tired to put them on.

"Happy St. Patrick's Day! The day where everyone tries to get kisses because they're Irish and then nobody kisses the real Irishmen!" he laughs, Edward smiles. "Maybe you'll get lucky and Artelind'll give you a kiss!"

"Shush," says Edward with a sigh. His ears go red, though. Kelley grins at his brother, flipping brown hair out of green eyes as Edward puts peanut butter on his bagel and starts to eat it.

"We've gotta get going if we wanna get to the festival on time! C'mon now, you still have to get dressed!"

Edward laughs a bit, knowing that they still have much more time than Kelley claims they do. He goes to his room and changes clothes. He checks his Snapchat and sees the little pink box light up, featuring a lazily-taken picture of Artelind's dark ceiling with a message of good morning. Snapchat is a good thing for her, messages with pictures. Edward uses it most all the time.

He sends a lazy picture of the floor returning the greeting as he runs a brush through his hair. Then, he brushes his teeth, throws on some shoes, and goes back to Kelley. Together, they get into Edward's car, where he prepares to drive them to the place where the town holds its St. Patrick's Day festival. Edward parks and the brothers get out, going into find the others.

"Morning Edward! Hi Kelley!" greets Rue, waving. Edward sees a message from Artelind saying that she's going to go to the festival and sneaks a selfie to respond as he goes over to talk to his friends.

"Hey Kelley!" Bonnie and Posy join their friend, who smiles at them.

"Hey!" he says cheerfully.

"Are you ready for the day?" Bonnie asks. Posy shrugs, Kelley gives a short nod.

"Sure. It's Edward's big time to shine, but I'll be there to back him up."

"Yeah… Does he know what he's doing for college?"

"Lucky him got accepted into his first choice. So he knows what he's doing."

"Oh, that's great!"

"Rory isn't sure what he's going to do. He might go to technical school. Or start out undecided and do some general classes."

"Yeah," says Kelley, "That's good."

Abri and Kuzey arrive together, chatting together and smiling at the others in greeting. Abri had immediately wanted to hear all about his time with Pax from Liberty, but she hadn't gotten all the details before he'd gotten embarrassed.

"Hey guys!" Locke says, temporarily removing the sax reed that had been sitting in his mouth to flash them that pretty smile of his.

Abri smiles back and plays it cool, "Hi!"

"Happy St. Patrick's Day to you guys!" He puts the reed back in.

"You too," says Kuzey, smiling and waving at Jason, who is putting his trumpet together.

Locke smiles and goes to put his saxophone together, and the others follow suit to put their instruments together.

The others start to show up and Mr. Everdeen and Prim prepare people for the stage. Locke and Jason get their instruments out and begin to warm up with the rest of the pit. Afterwards, they are approached by a very familiar face, with bright green eyes and dark hair.

"Hey Panem!" Everyone glances over, glancing at each other to see who will step up.

"Hi Finn!" Rue smiles at the boy, remembering his bright smile and eyes. He puts the breaks on the wheels of his chair to talk to them.

"How're things going?"

"Not bad," she says.

"I just wanted to come over and say good luck defending your title." He chuckles, and the others smile.

"Good luck to you too," says Skeeter. Finn gives a small salute and smile.

"Since we won last year," says Edward, "You can go first."

Finn grins back at them. "Gladly. I've gotta go find my group. See you guys out on the stage." He undoes his brakes with a wink and wheels away. The Panemites go out and take seats to watch the others sing.

Their first song has a moderate tempo to begin with. The first one to sing is a boy with dark brown hair, tan skin, and bright brown eyes. He sings in the Irish language, "Anol shalom,

Anol sheh lay konnud de ne um shaddai,

Flavum,  
Nom de leesh,  
Ham de nam um das…  
La um de…  
Flavne..."

Which translates to, "Healing to me  
And freely to you from Sol Omnipotens  
Yellow  
Wings of Joy  
Warmth of Day,  
Sun of Dawn  
O Sun of Yellow…"

The song stays moderate with quiet back-up harmonies before the tempo picks up slightly and a girl with blonde hair picks up from where the first boy left up. "Un da la pech ni sa,  
Un di-i lay na day,  
Un ma la pech a nay,  
mee di nu ku."

The translation is, "Shine now, O Great I Am!  
Shine now, O He Who Was!  
Shine now, O Great to Come!  
Now we are Free!"

The song picks up in tempo and the background voices get louder as another is featured, a boy with tan skin and dark brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail.

"Dwondi.  
Dwwoondi  
Alas sharum du koos  
Shaley koot-tum," translating to:

"Jesus,  
Jesus,  
True Sun of Liberty  
Healing you free," which concludes the song with a dramatic long note.

The crowd claps and the setting is changed, Finn is alone, his fingers spread out over keys of a keyboard. The song isn't much more upbeat than the past one, but it is more heartfelt. Finn takes a deep breath before he starts to play.

"She sings him a song,

He loves to listen…

He reads her a story,

She plays a sweet tune.

Chopin and Mozart,

She loves with her heart…

Her guardian angel, looks down from the moon…"

Kelley and Edward exchange a look. Finn plays and sings quietly. More heartfelt than any of them really thought the jokester to be.

"He sang this for his college audition," Skeeter says quietly.

"How do you know?" Rue asks curiously.

"I saw him…" He reflects back to that summer when he'd gone to a preview day and saw the smiling boy greet him.

"I'm going to sing a show-tune and a really nice one called Edge of the Moon. It'll be odd, singing by myself without the others. But I want to pursue music. Be a teacher. Pass on my love of music to others. It's what I was called to, I think. Which is why I want to pursue that love."

"Yeah," Skeeter said with a small sigh, shuffling the music in his hands nervously. "Me too. I want to be like Mr. Everdeen and make people excited about music. Because I love what I do, y'know? And I want to pass it on."

"That's nice. Is that what Rue wants to do as well?"

"She's looking at music therapy, actually. Teaching those in need music to turn their lives around. She… Kind of already has some experience with that." He scratched the back of his neck with a small, awkward smile.

"Oh, yeah. She seems like she'd be really good at that."

"I know she will be."

Finn gets called into the audition room and gives Skeeter a wink and a small salute. "Good luck," he says.

"You too."

"She prays for the vision,  
He hopes she won't see it.  
She wishes for winter,  
He knows it won't come…  
Summer and Autumn cry whisper the wind song…  
Her guardian angel looks down from the moon."

The others are all sitting and watching intently, nobody else sings a single note except for Finn. The others had no idea he was so talented. They thought he was just another body belting stuff out with the rest, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

If we do end up at the same school, thinks Skeeter, he's going to prove to be staunch competition.

Finn sings the last verse quietfully and with a lot of emotion.

"Her guardian angel looks down from the moon…  
She waves her goodbye from, the edge of the moon."

Everyone cheers and claps for him, and he gives a bow before the rest of the singers from earlier join him and take bows together. The Panem High singers all get up and get ready for their turn.

Panem's first song is one that takes some heavy orchestration, called "Heartland." Moderately-paced, but extremely dramatic.

Skeeter and Rue sing the first couple of lines together: When the storm is raging,  
And thunder rolls,  
Deliver us from the ocean,  
Save our souls!

The chorus is a repetition of, "A thiarna dean trocaire!  
A chriost dean trocaire!" which means:

"Lord, have mercy!

Christ, have mercy!"

The second voice is sung together by the two freshmen, Vardaman and Gaylen.

"When the winds are howling,

Vigil keep,

Shelter us and save us,

From the deep."

The chorus is repeated, and the group of students just enjoys singing together. Skeeter can't fend off the thought that his time in high school is coming to a close and soon he'll be on to better things.

The next part is sung by the junior girls, Bonnie and Posy. "Thank you, Lord you have brought us, safe to shore," the sophomore girls, Ashley and Priscilla, echo the "safe to shore," before Bonnie and Posy continue,

"Be our strength and protection evermore."

With the next chorus, Edward gets more nervous. He'd never been too confident in his singing voice before. Kelley's part is next, and he sings,

"Dean Trocaire  
Dean Trocaire!"  
The others join for the next moving line, "A thiarna."

The chorus is repeated again before a dramatic key change into the last chorus to bring it all home. The enjoyment of singing together is evident, and Edward gets more nervous for his feature, though he's been singing it constantly for weeks.

"Harry's Game" begins soon after the song is over, a song entirely in Gaelic. The other voices are just background to Edward and he takes a deep breath before he starts to sing.

"Imtheochaidah soir is siar,  
a dtainig ariamh,  
an ghealach is an ghrian."

The translation is, "I will go east and west,  
To the places from whence came,  
The moon and the sun."

The voices add layers that make Edward's melody shine out, as he sings the chorus:

"Fol lol the doh fol the day  
Fol the doh, fol the day…"

"The moon and the sun will go  
And the young man  
With his reputation behind him

Edward wants to go into the sciences, not really into music. He still likes to sing, but couldn't see himself making a life out of it. He's following his passion going into school, but can't ignore the impact that singing has had on his life. He's afraid that when he gets to college he won't have time for it. He's become determined to make time, even if it's just singing or humming in the dorm. He's not ready to give up his singing yet. He sings the last part in Gaelic after some repetition of the other parts to the song.

"Imtheochaidah a dtainig ariamh-  
An duine og is a chail ne dhiadh."

"I will go wherever he came from-  
The young man with his reputation behind him."

The crowd bursts into applause and cheers. Edward goes red and ducks his head in a sort of bow as the others take their bows. He spots Artelind's face in the crowd, surrounded by other friends that he could care less about. She's clapping and smiling at him.

This year's festival was the most fun of them all, he decides.

.

After the festival, Edward finds Artelind quickly and heads over to her after bidding farewell to the others.

She waves at him, reaching for her phone from her pocket.

"Hey," he says.

"Good job," says the cellphone, in its monotone voice. Artelind gives Edward an animated smile to try and add some more kind of pep into the words. Edward laughs.

"Thanks," he says. She nods. The two of them hang out in silence for a bit before Artelind realizes that her friends that were with her from Liberty have disappeared.

"That's strange," says Edward when she points it out to him in that monotone male's voice on the phone. He thinks he knows why everyone wanted to leave them alone.

"Want to walk around for a bit?" asks the man on Artelind's phone.

"Sure," says Edward. They walk for a bit before he finally gets the courage to brush his hand against hers. The next time he does it she takes it. They walk for a while, hands connected. They'd done so much snuggling it wasn't anything weird or awkward of butterfly-inducing. It was just… Warm. Normal. Simple. Edward likes it much better that way. So does Artelind.

Artelind stops and reaches for her phone with one hand, still holding onto Edward's with the other. She types in some words.

"Happy St. Patrick's Day," says the man on her phone.

"You too," says Edward. There's a slight pause before he speaks. "Y'know… You're supposed to kiss the Irish on St. Patrick's Day." He adds a teasing tone to it so she has the chance to shrug it off as a joke.

"I don't just kiss anyone," says the man on the phone, Artelind looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah. I understand," he says.

But soon enough her lips press his cheek, causing him to full-on blush. She smiles at him.

"Good day." Says the man's voice, and she gives him an inquisitive look to show it was a question.

"Yeah," he says. "Great." He grins. Maybe he shouldn't be starting something with someone so close to both of them being off to college, but… Dammit, he'd been getting to know her since he was a sophomore and she's great! He can't help it, he really can't.

They keep walking, hand-in-hand. A kiss on the cheek is a simple gesture, but for the time being, Edward couldn't be happier.

Even so, he's going to be teased relentlessly by his brother and friends later on.

Eh. He'll deal with it when it comes.

.

"Kuzey! Good job!" Kuzey was hoping to find his brother before he found Pax, but Pax found him first. The Liberty boy comes running, floppy hair swishing in and out of his eyes beyond his glasses. "I saw you there, in the pit. It was really nice!"

Kuzey smiles slightly, feeling nervous. Luckily, Abri quickly notices him and goes over to his aid.

"Hi there," she says. "You must be Pax."

"Oh. What's your name?"

"I'm Abri."

"Oh, yeah! Kuzey's told me about you!"

"He's one of my very best friends," says Abri, and Kuzey smiles. He takes her hand for support, and she squeezes it encouragingly.

"Were you singing?"

"Playing, actually."

"Oh." Pax's ears flush. But he's not about to admit he spent the whole time watching Kuzey. He just looked so damn cute! "Well, good job."

Abri grins at the flush, and can basically read his mind. "Thanks," she says.

"Mhm," Pax nods.

The conversation is interrupted when a boy that looks older approaches.

"Kuzey!" he calls.

"Ori!" Kuzey hugs his brother tightly. He misses Ori terribly when he's away at college.

"You were all so good!" Ori gushes.

"Thanks," says Kuzey, smiling. Then, he turns to the others. "This is my big brother Ori."

"Nice to meet you all," says Ori. He smiles at Abri. "Oh, you must be Gio's sister! You look a good deal like him!"

"That's right," says Abri, smiling. "Gio comes home next week."

"I'll have to see him! It's been much too long since I talked to him face-to-face."

Ori glances at Pax, one of his eyebrows raising slightly. "And you are…"

"Pax," he says, seeming slightly nervous. "One of Kuzey's friends."

Ori glances at his brother and notices how his face is pink with embarrassment. He puts an arm around Kuzey's shoulders. "Nice to meet you, Pax. I hope you and Abri take good care of Kuzey."

Pax smiles and nods. "Of course."

"Well, why don't we all get some lunch? I want to get to know Kuzey's new friends!"

"Sure," Abri says.

"Sounds good!" Pax agrees.

Ori leads the way and the others all follow. Kuzey squeezes his brother's hand, glad for the support.

Because _damn_.

Pax has no idea how much Kuzey already adores him.


	9. Chapter 9: Clouds

**Chapter 9: Clouds**

Three pamphlets lay on Jason's bed. Each one represents a completely different path before him. A different distance from home, a different atmosphere, a different program, a different everything. Three different pamphlets with smiling college kids on them, different logos, colors, mascots, alma maters…

Which path will Jason choose? They're so distinct in front of him, but each has as many cons as they have pros. Different for each one, and Jason has to sort out his priorities and figure out what's most important to him. That's been the hardest part of this ordeal.

After visiting each place one last time, Jason's time has run out. Those last visits were his ever-so valuable last chance. Now he has to decide where he felt at home. And the answer's… A little terrifying.

For the first time ever, Jason Hollow is afraid of his gut instinct. He's thinking this over twice, three times, four times, hoping that maybe he'll change his mind. Maybe he'll want to stick to where he feels comfortable. Maybe, if he believes enough. Maybe he can change it. Maybe he can make himself settle for his comfort zone.

Jason picks up a pamphlet, staring at the smiling people and realizing that there's nothing he can do to stop it.

And so he makes the most important decision of his life up to date.

Jason is sure this is where he's supposed to go, and what he's supposed to do.

He's going to a different college than Locke.

Sure, to most people, it's normal to go to a different college than your best friend. Most people don't really think about it. But after all Jason and Locke have been through together, it was hard for Jason to ever imagine them being apart for so long, sharing a room with someone that wasn't Locke, making friends that Locke doesn't know, living his own life… He always knew they'd never be to stay together forever, they're going to live separate lives… But after they traveled through hell together, after confusion and depression of all different sorts… Jason isn't sure how he could've gotten through high school without Locke, let alone college.

He hears a familiar knock on the door and looks up. Locke gives him a smile, his eyes soft and gentle, his eyes looking slightly wistful.

"You've made your decision, haven't you Jason?"

Jason looks up, surprised. "Y-Yeah… I… I think so…" He looks at the pamphlet in his hands. It's farther from home than Jason wanted, farther from Locke, farther from Santana.

Locke sits next to him and gives him a brief bro-hug. "I'm proud of you, Jason."

"Thanks," says Jason, giving him a small smile. "We made it then."

"That we did." Locke reaches for the pocketwatch, winding it up so it plays the song when opened. "Against all the odds, we made it. Thank you for everything, Jason. You've been the best friend I could've ever asked for."

Jason hesitates, then he throws his arms around Locke and gives his friend a big bear hug.

Locke hugs back with a small laugh. "You're gonna do just fine," he says. "I know you are. You've grown and matured, and you're going to be happy."

"We're never gonna stop talking."

"Oh, of course not. There can be lots of time for Skyping and ranting and complaining, plenty of time for visits and hanging out on breaks. Don't think you've gotten rid of me yet." Locke gives him a grin, and Jason returns it.

"What's gonna happen with me and Santana though?" he furrows his brow.

"I think you'll manage. That's up to you and her, I can't help you much."

"True." Jason takes a deep breath, before realizing- "Shit."

"Hm?"

"Prom."

"What about prom?"

"I'm gonna have to ask her to prom… What if she can't come back? It might end up being in the middle of finals week…"

"Then you'll go with someone else?" Locke shrugs. "You should probably try to casually ask what her plans are."

"Yeah… I should probably get on that."

"Who am I gonna ask?" Locke sighs. "A lot of my friends that are girls have dates already."

"Maybe… Abri."

"Hm?"

"Abri. I don't think she has a date yet."

"Oh. Really? I'll have to talk to her."

"Yeah. I'm sure she'd like to go with you."

"Maybe. I mean, she has plenty of other options. But if she doesn't have anyone I'd be willing to take her."

Jason nods, realizing that he just became… A wingman? Since when was Jason the wingman? Apparently, since now.

"Well, I'm excited for you," says Locke, smiling. "And I know that we're both on our paths to the future. I can't wait. I know we can do it. I have faith in us."

"I do too." Jason can say it and mean it. "I really do."

He never thought it possible, but Jason feels like he was able to make the right decision all along, and he did.

And that's the craziest, most horrifying, nerve-wracking, unfamiliar, unknown, energizing, exciting, wonderful feeling.

~.~.

Three bodies lay together in the park.

Kuzey squeezes Abri's hand lightly in a friendly gesture of support, while Pax Whittaker sits with them, looking up at the clouds and seeming so incredibly carefree. Kuzey depends on the support of Abri there for him to calm his nerves. Kuzey is usually nervous around strangers, let alone a stranger that is also very cute and very funny and also somehow manages to make Kuzey's heart jump and pound in his chest…

Pax is peaceful. Like Abri, the flirting comes easily for him. He's social and good at making friends, personable and relatable and sweet. He has no problem sitting here in silence and enjoying the moment. Kuzey wishes he would feel less flustered like Pax.

"Look at that cloud," Pax says, tweaking the square glasses around his gray eyes and pointing up at the sky. "It looks like a bird! See the beak there?"

"Yeah," says Kuzey, smiling slightly.

"Mhm." Abri squeezes Kuzey's hand reassuringly to let him know he's doing just fine. Kuzey appreciates his friend being there for him. "That one over there looks like a turtle, see the head? And the tail?"

"Aw, it does! I've always wanted a pet," says Pax dreamily. "Do you have pets?"

"No," says Kuzey, and Abri shakes her head.

They go back to sitting in silence. Pax closes his eyes peacefully. The sun has finally decided to come out, and shines warmly and brightly down on them. Pax lets out a content sigh, causing Kuzey to look over, concerned. Kuzey knows sighs to mean that someone is tired or bored, and he doesn't want Pax to be bored! That would make Kuzey really sad!

"Want to do something else?" he squeaks out, frowning a bit.

Pax glances over. "Hm? I mean, if you want to…"

"Are you bored?" squeaks Kuzey, his big brown eyes sad.

"Me? No, of course not! I'm having a wonderful time!"

"Really? It's okay if-"

"Would you like to do something else?"

Kuzey squeaks and clutches Abri's hand, not sure what to do or say. He doesn't want Pax to have a bad time! "I d-don't care, whatever you want."

Pax seems concerned, but remains calm. "Don't worry. I like sitting here with you. I'm not bored, really."

"Promise?"

"I'll pinky promise." He puts out his pinky. Kuzey links pinkies with the hand that's not holding Abri's, and they lay down again, slightly closer together.

Flirting and charming are easy for Pax. Asking people out and making moves doesn't bother him. He's certainly not shy to make a move. But this situation in particular is unique. Pax is afraid to make a move on Kuzey for fear of making him uncomfortable. Kuzey is shy and quiet, and Pax sometimes struggles to get into his head. He'll try though, because he wants to understand better how Kuzey's mind works so he can be sensitive to it. Until then, though, he doesn't want to overstep his bounds.

Pax isn't letting himself believe this is flirting at all. He's not letting himself believe that this could go anywhere more than friends. Because the moment he does that, he knows that he won't be able to control how deeply and fully he falls in love with him. He doesn't want that to happen if his heart is just being too big, and it's happened to him before. He doesn't want to walk into heartbreak, so he's taking it slow. He wants to be friends first and foremost. He's okay with how they are right now.

Sure, it'd be nice to be stroking his hair and have Kuzey's head on his chest. It'd be nice to feel him breathing, not just see.

 _Shit, Pax. Snap out of it._ He can't be thinking about that. Not now. _But… Maybe I could ask… Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask…_

"When's your prom?"

"The thirteenth," says Abri, looking over, interested.

"Ours at Liberty is that Saturday, the 14th."

He has the question on his lips but swallows it back down. Kuzey might not be comfortable going with him alone. Pax wouldn't want to make him go if he wasn't comfortable.

"I see. Do you have a date, Pax?" Abri can't help trying to facilitate the relationship a little, if she can help it. Kuzey's gonna have better luck with Pax than Abri's gonna get with Locke, after all. Of course, though, Abri wouldn't want Kuzey to be uncomfortable either.

"Abri and I are probably gonna go to prom together," says Kuzey, "Unless Locke asks her. Abri really likes Locke."

"Yeah? That'll be fun then."

"Yeah!" Abri says enthusiastically. "We'll probably leave early to go back to either Jason or Kuzey's place to watch movies." She sounds slightly wistful talking about their homes, because she hasn't really got one to call her own.

"You could come, if you wanted. I'm sure that'd be okay with the others, right Kuzey?"

A night spent with a big group and Pax sounds great. Calm, dark, watching movies, blankets, hot chocolate… Maybe even some snuggles from friends.

Kuzey expresses his cheer in a big smile. "Yeah! It's gonna be lots of fun!"

"Let me know the details," Pax says, smiling, "And I'll be there."

"Great!" _Now if only we can convince Locke to come_ , Abri thinks. Even if Jason does, which he very well might, Locke wouldn't want to snuggle with her, probably. Even if she could convince him to, there's no way he'd ever be able to pick up on her feelings unless she told him. Which doesn't really scare her. But she doesn't want to scare _him_ on their prom night. That'd be a memory he'd frown upon. She wouldn't want that for him, that'd be selfish of her.

Abri seems like the kind that knows how to treat herself, but she's actually one of the most selfless people in all of Panem. It comes from how she was raised, what she learned from her older brother, who always gave so freely even when he had nothing. Abri doesn't like to be a hindrance so she keeps her ground and knows when to back off.

It's really just a fancy delusion that Locke Gedeckt would ask her of all people to prom. The boy has his admirers, and surely another girl will ask him first. Surely there's someone he had in mind to ask, he certainly has his choice of the crowd. But it's nice to dream, to hope. Abri's dreams and hopes are what keep her going, what push her forward, what keep her from giving up hope.

Kuzey is smiling now, a relief to Pax. He doesn't want the more sensitive boy to feel out-of-place or uncomfortable. The prospect of movie night instead of staying a long time at prom is exciting to Kuzey. He loves to spend time with his friends, but after a while the lights and pounding bass and loud music make him anxious and jittery.

But now he doesn't have to worry. He has friends that want him to be comfortable, and he doesn't have to pretend in front of them. He has fellow drum majors that support him and are sensitive to his needs without being overbearing or disrespectful or treating him any differently like less than them or anyone else.

Kuzey smiles, and puts an arm up, pointing at the sky.

"Hey," he giggles. "That cloud over there looks like an elephant."


	10. Chapter 10: Prom

**Chapter 10: Prom**

Rue, Skeeter, Edward, and Artelind eat brunch together prom morning. They didn't want to have dinner when the girls were all dressed and made-up, so they gathered for some casual breakfast.

Rue holds Skeeter's hand under the table as the two of them flip through the menu together. Edward likes being with his friends, but he also likes Artelind's pretty face. Whoops.

Rue and Skeeter get pancakes, and Edward gets a waffle and lots of bacon. Artelind seems awkward but glad when Edward offers to order for her. She looks different when she's tired, her hair messier in its ponytail. Edward thinks she just looks plain adorable. She always looks plain adorable to Edward.

"So, how's school Artelind?"

Artelind types quickly. "We graduate next week," the monotone voice says.

"Lucky, we still have a month," sighs Skeeter.

"I just want to graduate already," Rue sighs. "But we started like, a million years late and now we're waiting like, forever."

"All of our college friends are done already, and you guys too," whines Skeeter.

"Tanner and Ben invited us over Wednesday and we had to remind them high school still exists," Rue laughs.

"Thank God for school," says Skeeter.

Rue kicks him under the table. "Ben is making an effort! Be nice!"

Artelind snickers. Edward smiles.

"I'm just saying, thank goodness for school."

"You're ignorant," sighs Rue. "You have to try."

"I've been trying."

"No you haven't. The only person who's been trying less than you is Jason. And he has that weird stupid vendetta against the guy."

"Well I do too," says Skeeter.

Rue sighs. The waitress interrupts the conversation by delivering some food.

"Thank God for pancakes," Rue says pointedly.

Edward and Artelind snicker.

~.~.

Rory's masculinity was pretty fragile. He didn't feel like much of a man, wearing a hot pink vest under his suit and a pink flower. But, it wasn't his choice. And Prim looked damn beautiful.

Her dress was the same hot pink as his vest (Hazelle Hawthorne spent an hour and a half in the tux store at the mall making sure it matched) and very simple. It was a long gown that swept across her feet, she is wearing high heels that are silver like the sparkles and gems on the bodice. Her hair was curled and done professionally, and her mother had done her make-up beautifully. Prim felt quite pretty, and she just wanted to run around her front yard, but 1) that would be quite hard to do in heels and 2) She and Rory have to hold still and pose for pictures.

Prim never thought she'd find a dress that suited her as well as her sister's did. Katniss's dress was red and orange like fire, and when she twirled it looked like it was real, but not like cheesy-CGI-fire, like the general aesthetic of fire. But, Prim found a dress that she fell in love with. And was much easier for her date to match. Then again, Katniss barely cared about matching. "Just don't wear, like, neon," Katniss had told her date, Peeta.

Anyways, the general process of standing in the yard and having cameras swarming around them was less than pleasant. Prim and Rory were sick of smiling for pictures.

 _At least it's sunny,_ Prim decides. In her strapless dress, she didn't want it to be too chilly.

 _I'm going to die of heatstroke_ , decides Rory, adjusting the black suit coat.

Prim's friends arrive when Rory thinks they never will, and they all have to pose for more prom pictures. So many parents stand in front of them with cameras, Rory doesn't know where to look. He figures he's probably looking to the side in most every picture because he feels helpless trying to figure out which camera to look at.

Afterwards, they let the kids go as they wait for the party bus that will take them to dinner before going to the prom.

"Are you excited?" asks Prim, smiling.

"Not particularly," shrugs Rory.

"It'll be fun!" Prim promises, and the other girls there all nod and tell their dates it will be fun.

"Alright," says Rory, "If you insist."

"Maybe I'll be prom queen," teases Prim.

"You very well could be," says Rory. "You're pretty well-liked. You're in the top 6."

"If you say," laughs Prim, as the bus pulls into the driveway. "Come on, we need to get to dinner." She takes his hand, her corsage on a pretty bracelet on her wrist.

Together, the group goes to being their prom time together.

~.~.

Santana and Jason have many similarities, but probably the most resounding of them all is the fact that they both hate school dances.

Jason's big promposal hadn't exactly been _romantic_. It was more like _"Hey when's your final's week? Wanna go to prom?"_ Not that Santana was expecting some big show from him. Not that she really cared, or was hoping for a big show. Santana's not really a fan of attention and she would probably have nightmares if Jason were to go out of his comfort zone in some crazy extreme way.

He insisted on driving to her house to pick her up. She wore a simple black gown, recycled from last year. It was easy enough for him to match with a silver vest.

"Hey," she said, smiling as she opened the door.

"Hi," he said, twirling his lanyard with his keys around nervously. "Sup?"

"Not much." She smiled at him. "Still the same Jason, I see. Can I give you a hug?"

"Sure," he says, returning the hug she gives him.

"Let's get going, my family's waiting." He takes her hand and helps her to his car, opening the passenger door for her to get in.

Ever since they'd said "fuck it" and started dating, Jason hasn't felt nearly as nervous around her. She's Santana. She laughs so hard she snorts. She has this cute little wrinkle in her forehead when she's smiling, a real smile, not an "I'm okay" smile, a _real_ smile. She's familiar to him, now, he doesn't have to worry about what she thinks of him. She already thinks he's the biggest dork ever to walk to earth. And he's learned to accept that.

Jason starts the drive to his house, Santana looking pleasantly out the window.

"Just think, each second that ticks away is one less second we have to do this." She grins at him, a teasing glint in her brown eyes. "And if you think _one_ prom is bad, try doing it _twice_!"

"Sorry," says Jason sheepishly.

"It's fine," she muses. "You said your squad's ditching partway through?"

"I think so. If I remember right we're going back to our place and watching movies."

"Sounds fun." She sighs wistfully. "If only you'd told me to bring a change of clothes. I guess I'll have to borrow some of yours." Jason's face burns red, and he almost forgets to stop at a red stoplight.

"Er… Yeah."

Santana laughs. "Looking forward to it."

Now Jason forgets to go when the light turns green. It's probably a miracle that they make it back to the house, because Jason's face is red like a stop sign.

Abri's just arrived when they get there. Her dress is simple, but makes her look tall and slender. It's a navy two-piece dress, with a strap that goes around her neck striped with different shades of blue, and a silky navy skirt. She's just talking excitedly to Locke, Kuzey, and Pax about the deal she got on it and the excitement of her "princess shoes" when the others approach. Kuzey looks adorable in his nice suit with a lilac vest and bowtie, and Pax looks sharp, his hair done neatly, in a gray suit with the matching violet vest and tie.

"Hi Jason!" says Kuzey, beaming. "Did you see the flower Pax got me?" the excitement in his eyes makes Jason smile.

"No." He looks at the boutonniere on Kuzey's suit, a soft pink rose with miniature white flowers around it. "It's nice."

Kuzey goes slightly cross-eyed looking at it, a big smile on his face.

"Alright, everyone line up for pictures!" says Mrs. Hollow, and soon the couples are all arranged for pictures. Jason does a double-take when he sees a familiar snaggle-toothed face with a big grin on his knees taking pictures with a picture.

"Edmund! What the heck are you doing back without telling me!?"

"Shut up and smile," Jason's older brother puts the camera back up to his nose, covering a bright blue eye.

Jason smiles but talks through his teeth. "When did you get here without telling me what the-" he's about to swear but decides that's not the best idea with a bunch of parents around- "What the heck man?"

"Smile!~ " sings Edmund.

"Screw you," says Jason through clenched smiling teeth.

After about twelve eternities, certainly no less than twelve, the adults are satisfied with their pictures. Jason runs over to tackle his older brother, but not only was Edmund expecting it, but also Jason was slow due to dying of heat stroke in the heavy black suit jacket in the sun. Instead, though, Edmund squeezed Jason in a hug. It was short because Jason was already slightly sweaty and gross.

"You look good kiddo," says Edmund. "I couldn't miss your prom!" he was travelling for his photography endeavors, frankly, Jason has no idea how he scheduled his way home. Not that it mattered now, at least he was here. Jason hadn't seen him in, like, a million years.

"So, that's your girlfriend?" Edmund asks, a teasing glint illuminating his eyes as he gestures to Santana.

"Well, we're not _technically_ -" Jason stops, because they _are_ technically. "Yeah. Yeah, she is. Weird, right?"

"Weird that my little brother gets a girlfriend before me? Not to me. I've been way too busy with my travels to notice other people that could be possible soulmates. You're anchored right here, and you're not going too far, right?"

"I guess I'm going pretty far…"

"Not to Europe?" Edmund provides a toothy grin.

"No, not to Europe."

"Then you're really not going too far!"

"True, I guess." That seems to make it better, the distance thing. Jason hasn't really considered it, but they'd be in opposite directions from home… Oh, it's hard to think about.

"I'm not the only older brother that just decided to show up," Edmund says, gesturing to where a smiling boy with dark hair ruffles Kuzey's hair, and where a boy that looks like Abri is talking to her and Locke. "Ori and Gio came too. We all had to see our little sibling drum majors and their dates!"

"Locke and Abri are technically dating though. I don't think Pax and Kuzey are either."

" _Dates_ is used metaphorically. You know what I mean. Prom dates."

Santana comes over to them just then, taking Jason's arm. "I think we're getting ready to go."

"Ah, here she is. Santana, correct? I'm At-I'm Edw-I'm Edmund."

"Having a bit of an identity crisis there?" she asks, smirking.

"Just a bit of a brain fart, as they say. You'd better take care of Jason, though, he's a good kid that deserves the very best."

"Of course. I know he does."

"Good. I won't try to intimidate you, but if you lay a finger on him you're dead."

"Thanks," deadpans Santana.

Kuzey and Pax both giggle loudly, causing the others to glance over. Jason wonders if they're dating or close to it because they'd be adorable together.

"I'll let you go," says Edmund, ruffling Jason's hair. "Enjoy it."

"Thanks." Edmund goes to talk to Abri and Locke and her brother, Jason and Santana go to chat with Kuzey and Pax.

"You must be Jason!" says the older boy cheerfully. "I'm Ori, Kuzey's older brother!"

"Uh, nice to meet you," says Jason politely.

"Hi Jason!" says Kuzey, smiling.

"Hey," says Pax.

"Hey guys. Are you excited?"

"Yeah!" says Pax cheerfully. Kuzey nods.

Jason figures that the big crowd is making him slightly nervous.

The limo pulls in to the driveway just then. The couples all go together and get in the vehicle excitedly. They're all slightly amazed at the luxury of it all. Kuzey waves at Ori and his parents out the window as it drives away. He seems more relaxed now that the crowd is more familiar. Being around all the parents made him nervous, but now Kuzey is with friends.

He holds onto Pax's arm, laying his head on Pax's shoulder as they sit next to each other in the limo. Pax smiles and leans against him affectionately.

Yeah, Pax is in too deep now. But who could blame him? Kuzey is the sweetest person ever, and he's absolutely adorable. And his hair is dark, so it's still warm from the sun. And his skin is soft. And his smile makes Pax melt. Come on, who wouldn't want to hold him?!

Locke and Abri chat animatedly the whole ride up. Locke is still oblivious to Abri's feelings, of course, but she's trying to enjoy the night anyways. He's just a fun person, and a good friend. He's the kind of person that is so damn friendly you can forget you have a crush on him. Which Abri appreciates.

Jason and Santana sit together. She puts her head on his shoulder, just enjoying the time they have together. They've been talking about her college life for a while over Skype, but now they finally get to just be together.

The group arrives at a restaurant to eat dinner together. They take a seat together and chat as they eat, laughing and taking the time to enjoy each other.

Kuzey and Pax keep exchanging looks and being blushy, causing the others to smile at them because dammit they're so _cute_! The group has dessert together, smiling at the sweetness of the chocolate and the taste of ice cream sundaes.

After eating, the group gets in the limo to go to prom. They sing Livin' On a Prayer together, and even Jason sings, though very quietly under his breath.

They arrive and get out of the car, getting in the back of the forming line for the promenade. Many well-dressed couples pass them, greeting their friends. Rue waves at them, wearing a light blue dress that she picked not only because it's adorable, but also because it would bring out Skeeter's eyes so well.

Artelind wears the same dress she wore to the Liberty prom a while back, a dark purple gown with silver gems on it. Her hair is all done up again, and she looks spectacular. Edward may or may not have drooled a bit when he first saw her. Also, he may have been staring at her the whole ride up. Lucky he wasn't driving.

The line starts moving, so after a brief "hey you look adorable!" the others go to the back.

Santana and Jason hold hands as they approach the prom-walk. Abri and Locke lock arms. Pax offers his arm to Kuzey, who takes it and nuzzles it affectionately. Pax beams as they go in.

The music is so loud the room is literally shaking, and lights are flashing. Kuzey squeezes his eyes shut, pressing his face into Pax's arm, distressed. Pax quickly notices the sit-in room downstairs and quickly goes there, Kuzey clutching tightly on his arm.

When they get to the quieter downstairs, Kuzey's tight grip on Pax's arm loosens slightly, but he keeps his face pressed. Pax sits in one of the booths, coaxing Kuzey to sit next to him. Kuzey's breathing had become jagged, but restores.

"Want me to get you some water?" Pax asks quietly into his hair.

"No! Don't leave!" Kuzey says quickly. "Stay here."

"Alright," says Pax, "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Kuzey buries his face deeper. Pax holds him close. Kuzey inhales, taking in Pax's scent. He calms down quickly, and glances at Pax.

"Th-Thanks," he says quietly, blushing embarrassedly.

"Sure thing," says Pax, tweaking his glasses. He's so tempted to kiss Kuzey right on the adorable nose. He resists the temptation, though.

Kuzey snuggles against him, and Pax puts an arm around his adorable friend as Kuzey calms down again. They stay like that for a while, in comfortable silence.

They stay downstairs together, even when everyone goes up to see the announcement of prom king and queen.

"I'm sorry I kept you down here," says Kuzey quietly, seeming sad.

"No, don't be! I've had a wonderful time just being with you."

"R-Really? Promise?"

"I promise." Pax smiles and gives him an eskimo kiss. Kuzey giggles, causing Pax to smile.

Some people approach them and smile and tell them how cute they are.

Abri skips down with Locke in hand, who's wearing a crown.

"Look at our prom king!" Abri gushes. "And Prim was Prom Queen! It was awesome!"

"Congratulations Locke!" says Pax, smiling, "That's awesome!"

"Congratulations!" says Kuzey, feeling genuinely happy for him.

"Thanks guys!" says Locke. "I think Jason and Santana are ready to go home though," he says, glancing at the corner where the two sit and talk and watch Youtube videos together and laughing.

"Back for snuggling and movies?" Kuzey asks hopefully.

"That's what I was thinking!" says Abri. "Let's go get the others!" She takes Locke's hand and drags them over to the others.

Pax stands up and takes Kuzey's hand to help him up before Kuzey grabs hold of his arm again. Together, the three couples walk out through the lobby to the limo, to avoid the lights and music. They drive back to the Hollow household together, the girls glad to kick off their shoes and sit inside.

"What movie first?" asks Locke, looking at the DVDs.

"101 Dalmations?" Abri suggests, and the others agree.

Kuzey leans against Pax, the two of them sharing a bowl of popcorn. Santana stayed true to her word and is currently wearing one of Jason's T-shirts and a pair of his too big pajama pants. They're a tangle of limbs so that people can barely tell one from the other. Locke and Abri are both snuggled in piles of blankets on opposite sides of the couch.

Kuzey's eyes get heavy and soon he falls asleep against Pax. He's not very heavy and he's warm. Pax knows it must be a mistake to have feelings like this when he's so close to his senior year. Soon they'll barely get to see each other. Maybe Pax is wrong about how Kuzey really feels. Maybe Kuzey just sees him as a friend. Maybe Pax is wrong about all of this. He doesn't want to make it awkward.

Pax sighs, and decides to just enjoy this while he can and not worry about it.

He pulls a blanket around the two of them and watches the movie on the screen, smiling calmly.

Prom on its own wasn't better than any other school dance, true, but it's the friends he spent it with that separated it from other dances.

Pax kisses the top of Kuzey's head ever-so-gently.

Yeah.

He's in _far_ too deep.


	11. Chapter 11: An End, and a Beginning

**Chapter 11: An End, and a Beginning**

The wait for this day had seemed to take forever. All of the seniors' college friends had long since finished the school year and were back home, asking to do things and enjoy time together, but the seniors had to tell them that school was still going on. It dragged on and on.

Sure, it was only mid-June when graduation came along, but it felt like they ate up their whole summer sitting in class and doing nothing at all. Some classes watched movies, some played games (and Rue burned Skeeter's ass at Trouble every single day), and some just had nothing planned. It was torture, sitting there and knowing that they could be at home for summer.

The main highlight of the day was definitely glee club, where Mr. Everdeen let the kids sight-read some really fun songs. It was amazing to see how much everyone had grown.

The freshmen had become more relaxed and at-home, and the maturation of them was amazing. Gaylen was talking to a boy from Liberty named Verz, who he'd met at Halloween. Vardaman was much more comfortable in his position, and continued to be his pleasant self, giving smiles to people and adding a youthful energy to the group.

Ashley and Priscilla, the sophomores, were sitting a row closer to the front, instead of hiding in the back. Their hands were laced together and they sang all the cheesy love songs to each other, laughing.

Bonnie and Posy had gotten past their crushes on Kelley, mostly, and were content to be friends with him. They both held his arms, still, and laid on his shoulders. What can they say, Kelley is still adorable and comfortable. He hasn't been singing much, though, as some of the side effects of being on testosterone have started affecting his voice. He was looking more grown-up now, and starting to act like it. Of course he was still sunny and cheerful, but at the same time he wasn't quite as hyper and spontaneous.

Kuzey had matured so much over the course of this year alone! He had found a group of lifelong friends that supported him and will stand by him. Abriella had started detaching herself from her crush on Locke, knowing that they both have new futures ahead of them. He was even going on a date with Pax, that was scheduled for the day after graduation.

Edward was still his quiet and shy self, but he seemed to have this life figured out. He and Artelind were going on dates officially, and he was much happier than he'd ever been in the past. He was miles different from the boy that had come to America so long ago.

Primrose had matured, too. She was no longer the quiet and awkward girl she had been. She had matured and got into nursing school. She was full of love and compassion, she would definitely make a great nurse. She was ready for her future, and no longer was bashful or shy. She knew that she could succeed.

Rory was so much more grown-up now, too. He had grown out of his angsty attitude and was much more relaxed. He took classes that were challenging and did well in them. He was ready for his future and had long-since stopped his fuck-it-all attitude. He put everything into what he did and was ready for his future.

Locke had matured, too. Even though it seemed he could be independent as a freshman, he had a different air about him now. He was more independent, he learned how to deal with failure and get back up and dust himself off. He learned plenty of life lessons. His smile was even brighter than ever, and he had a new light in his green eyes.

Then there was Jason. Skeeter wouldn't have been able to recognize him if he didn't watch Jason maturing. Jason was miles more independent, and he got rid of the resting bitch face and smiled much more often. He was slightly more rational (though not by much). He had made friends, he had Santana now, he was free. Skeeter couldn't help but feel proud of him.

And, of course, the growth that surprised them the most was their own.

Rue was so much more mature. She was ready to go out into the world, separate from her family and be her own person. She was ready to study and never stop singing, never stop performing. She was inspired and she knew that she had an extremely strong support system behind her. She was ready to tackle the challenges beyond, but promised to never forget her roots. High school had definitely gone fast for her, just like a blink of memories, good and bad, tears and laughter, friends and family. She felt ready for it, though.

Skeeter's memories of freshman year were slightly fuzzy around the edges, but the suffering and the rough times were still crystal clear, and with the help of friends, he'd made it. It seemed like a million years ago, the fear and depression that had washed over him. Thinking back on it still brings some of those feelings back, of course, those feelings of loss, but he had gotten past them. He'd made it. He learned how to smile again and how to enjoy his blessings, because he was more blessed than he ever would've imagined. He definitely wouldn't have believed that he could be smiling like this when he was a freshman.

Sure, there were things he would change, if only he could. He's not denying that. He suffered, a lot. But, with how fate had to be, he was nothing but thankful for his new family and especially his friends. He definitely wouldn't have made it if Rue hadn't stayed up with him all those nights. He was here now, though. Sure, sometimes the scars put him off and reminded him of those times, and it was always unsettling when people asked about them, but he knew that he'd overcome it. And he could never express his gratitude to Rue. Even if they don't end up getting married and having adorable children named after food (which didn't sound all that bad to Skeeter, but he knew not to rush things), he could only hope that they would always be friends. He never wants to lose her, and would do anything for her. For now, things were perfect between them.

It was a surprise when the other alumni showed up as visitors to glee club that day. The freshmen and sophomores weren't really as excited, but Rue and Skeeter were the first to greet old friends.

Prim was used to seeing Katniss around, and she only had good news about her boyfriend Peeta, and Rory about his brother Gale, who was working hard in college. Edward had new of his close friend Marvel, who said that Cato and Clove were engaged and currently making wedding plans. As for him and Poppy, they had broken up and saw other people, but were still really close friends that talked often. Poppy was thriving in art school, and working hard to pay off her loans. She still had that teddy bear Marvel got her all that time ago, though.

When Rue saw the blonde girl standing with her twin brother, she ran over and gave Nathalia a huge hug. She'd not seen the girl in a while, but they'd been in contact.

"Can you believe you're going to _graduate_!?" Nathalia gushes. "I feel so old!"

"I'm ready for it," Rue smiles as the junior in college ruffles her hair.

"How is it? Being a performance major?"

"It's everything I wanted. I'm working really hard to succeed."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Rue smiles.

Skeeter shakes Theo's hand but is soon pulled into a tight hug.

"I wouldn't have recognized you," Theo says, "You look so…"

"Healthy? Happy?"

"Rejuvenated. And you've matured a lot. I'm glad for you."

"Thanks," Skeeter says, smiling. "I'm ready to graduate."

Theo just laughs and ruffles his hair. "I know how that is. You're going to be successful no matter what you do."

"Thanks," smiles Skeeter.

They sit and catch up, talking about college and relationships and friends and laughter. Nathalia's boyfriend Mason is studying science and has an internship he's currently at, preventing him from being there in the moment. Theo is very close to his girlfriend Athena, who's a year younger. They broke up, but got back together because they didn't like being apart.

Luckily, none of the seniors report of hearing anything about Glimmer, who successfully tore people apart through their time in high school.

Nate McIalwain comes arm-in-arm with his girlfriend Daphne, along with Nate's best friend Elijah Crowly and his boyfriend Linus. Santana is with them, rolling her eyes when they all say stupid things.

"Hey there kids!" Nate greets cheerily, with a loud laugh. "I feel so old coming back here."

"Me too," Daphne says, detaching herself from Nate to hug Locke and Jason and ruffle their hair. As soon as he can Jason excuses himself to tell Santana hi and take her hand, which causes a whirlwind of teasing from the others. Elijah is tackle-hugged, almost knocking Linus over with him, who laughs. Everyone chatters at once, but is nothing but attentive when Elijah talks about his time in college as an English major, and Linus majoring in photography. Nate is going into robotics. They all have stories, and smile widely, surviving amongst the bumps in the road. Linus gives news about his best friend Arrow, who was also involved in glee club, and his relationship with Cor, a boy that went to Capitol Academy.

Marvel did decide to visit, to see Edward and Kelley. He was impressed by how much Kelley had matured, remembering when he was still trying to find his place and stealing Edward's clothes. Now his voice was deeper and he was starting to grow into himself some more. He was nothing but happy to see Marvel there, who immediately got to teasing Edward about Artelind, laughing.

Tanner Cooper also comes to visit, dragging Ben Hoffsteader along with him. Ben doesn't exactly seem excited about this, but anything to make Tanner happy. Ben kind of had some bad blood with some people. When they went in, Ben hesitating, Tanner was met with a tackle-hug, even the sophomores joining in.

"Hey Ben!" Daphne says, waving to her ex.

"Uh, hey," he says, putting up a hand awkwardly.

Tanner looks much healthier and happier than the last time the others had seen him. He was living with Ben's family after being kicked out by his own when he came out. He looked at Ben with such affection in his eyes that the awkward tension didn't last for long. Santana just keeps Jason far away from him, and everything is just peachy.

Finally, Crawley Archer decided to stop by. Everyone quickly sat him down and demanded to know about how Aerobyna was, and about his romantic situation. The sunny boy just smiled and said that he was still single and hasn't heard much from Byna after all that happened between them, but he and Holden were still in close contact. He gave hugs all around, and ruffled hair.

It was really amazing, to have them all in one place. Rue was bouncing back and forth, talking to alumni and exchanging stories about the craziness that had happened while they were away. Skeeter felt very at home, talking and laughing. He even got Ben to smile, though things are still tense between them.

Their student teacher Platinum even showed up, his two-year-old son Dutch on his shoulders. He was a student teacher when Rue and Skeeter were sophomores, and greeted them warmly. He and his now husband Mario, who had student taught at Capitol Academy, were both graduated and had been job searching. Dutch waved his little arms and giggled. He gave news that their student teacher from last year, Drake, was officially dating the much sunnier teacher from Capitol Academy, Champagne. "It was really about time," laughs Mr. K, giving them all a bright smile.

Mr. Everdeen smiled as he guided his alumni and current students in their favorite songs, allowing Nathalia to show off what she learned in performance school and laughing as Tanner waltzed Ben around to some love song that was in three. Tanner gushed over the sophomores, giving lots of hugs, even to the freshmen, who just "looked like they needed one."

Forty-five minutes just didn't seem like enough time, really, so the alums decided to go out for ice cream, the seniors and juniors accompanying them. It was a time of gossip, fellowship, and laughter. After everything they'd been through, Rue and Skeeter were just happy to be there, with friends and family, enjoying their time together as a group. Also, ice cream was just an added bonus.

~.~.

The next day was the day. Rue and Skeeter met up, caps and gowns on, ready to graduate.

"Well, here we are," Rue says, "The end of an era."

"Sure, maybe it's the end of this era. But it's also a new beginning for us. We have many great things to do before it's truly the end, right?" Skeeter gave her a big smile.

When Rue was a freshman, she never would've imagined him saying those words. In fact, he had almost just ended it there. She threw her arms around her best friend, and he hugged her back, surprised.

"I'm so glad we made it here together. Never leave me. Ever."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Skeeter kisses her forehead. "I have to go now, because I don't have distinction like you, Smarty."

"Hey, graduating with honors is still an achievement!" She had never imagined _not_ graduating next to her best friend, but he didn't seem too bothered. His grades had dropped freshman year, and he'd worked hard to bring his GPA back up.

He laughs. "I know. I'm really proud of you though."

Rue grins at him. "Thanks. I'll see you after!"

"See ya." Skeeter walks to the meeting place for honors students, and Rue goes to talk to some people. She hears a familiar laugh and goes to talk to Locke, who is talking to Prim.

"Hey!" Locke smiles and waves when he sees her.

"Congrats," he says.

"Thanks," Rue giggles. "Congrats to you too!"

Suddenly Locke is plowed into by a very frantic-looking Jason. "Hey, so I was with the honors kids and it turns out that my name isn't on their list so they sent me to the office. What if-"

"Jason. Snap out of it. I'm sure it's fine."

Jason takes a breath. "Right. Okay." He nods a bit and walks into the office, looking nervous.

"Some things will never change," says Locke lightly, and Rue laughs, adjusting the honors cords around her shoulders and the distinction medal.

"I'm just ready to be done with it," Locke says.

"It still hasn't sunken in with me," says Prim. "I keep thinking I'll have to wake up for school tomorrow."

"I can't believe we're graduating already. Call me cheesy, but it feels like just yesterday we were stepping foot in high school for the first time."

"Yeah, I get you."

Jason comes back out just then, a medal around his neck and beaming with pride. "Hey guys! Turns out my GPA got bumped up last-minute and I hit 4.3!"

"Really!? That's amazing!" gushes Rue, and Locke hugs his friend.

"I'm so proud of you!"

Jason laughs, giving them all a smile that could almost rival Locke's. "Thanks."

Soon, the group lines up and goes out to the stadium for graduation.

Rue thought she would be more emotional about this, more sentimental of her time in high school. She expected to cry at it all, leaving her home behind, becoming more independent.

But, the reality of it all, is that Rue felt ready. She was ready to go out into the world and see what there was to see. She was ready to go out into the world beyond, never forgetting where she came from. She may be leaving, but she was never going to forget where she came from. This is her home, where she originated from. She isn't going to let go of her family or her friends. She is ready to grow and mature, and mature into the woman she was meant to be. She knows that with her friends by her side, anything is possible.

She holds her head high as they switch the tassels, signaling that they've graduated.

They've made it this far, and there's no looking back now.

A new road lies ahead, and Rue is ready to take the first step into her future.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: That's it, it's over. Thank you so much to reading and sticking with me, the whole two people that did. I have to say that this is really bittersweet, truly the end of an era.**_

 _ **I give one last thank you and giant bear hug to Wetstar/Jess and Legend for letting me use your characters. This story wouldn't have been the same without them, and I thank you for helping me grow as a writer. You two are my best friends and though I'm not sure what I did to deserve you, I thank you so much for your advice, support, and love. I couldn't be more thankful for you guys. We made it!**_

 _ **Thanks again for reading and for the support and for the memories. Can't wait to see what the future holds for all of us!**_


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